Untitled Prequel
by Haley'sCircus
Summary: After like 3 or 4 years or 2 god fucking knows here's a prequel to WSWPYF about Master-in-training Sebastian's fall from grace and into the life of a little.
1. Chapter 1

**Fall 2006, Year 3**

" _SNAP!"_

"Good, Sebastian. Flick your wrist a little more to really make it crack."

" _SNAP!"_

"Better! Much better!"

Sebastian grinned at the praise and slashed away at the battered dummy positioned before him. His arm was starting to get tired and small beads of sweat were starting to emerge on his hairline, but he kept going. Star students didn't get tired.

Next to him Hunter whacked away at the poor, battered torso so hard that it was swinging from its suspension rope. That one was crazy for certain. In fact, Sebastian wouldn't be surprised to see him on the news one day being led into a cop car. The headline would say "Sexual Sadist Whips Woman to Near Death" or something like that…not that he would ever tell this to anyone. Rival or no, they were still best friends and friends don't accuse each other of sadism.

"Alright! Take a break!" The teacher called out and Sebastian let out a sigh of relief. His arm felt ready to fall off and they still had a week left of this particular topic. Pain and Punishment was admittedly his least favorite class. Just seeing the dummies being beaten so harshly by such a wide variety of harsh-looking devices made him cringe a little, but at least it was better than unit one. He never wanted to see another nipple clamp again…

He returned his whip to the pile on the instructor's desk and grabbed his bag before filing out of the room with the other doms. He was fourteen, freshman year and proud of it. No longer was he going to be grouped with the first and second years: the babies of the school who learned about stupid stuff like how to wear leather properly and how to speak sternly. It was kid stuff, but Sebastian wasn't a kid anymore. He was on his way to becoming a real dom and he was going to be the best that this school had ever seen. He would be as good as the ones in northern Europe and Eastern Asia, who had their own television shows and book series.

"Hey!"

Sebastian looked up, trying to see where the voice had come from. He turned around to find Hunter suddenly at his side with his own bull skin bag slung over his shoulder. As always, he was completely decked out in leather and wore a spike leather bracelet around his wrist. It had come with a collar, which Hunter immediately threw out because "doms don't wear collars, slaves do."

"Let's go." He said, seizing Sebastian's arm and tugging him away from the dining hall without so much as an explanation.

"What? Where are we going?" Sebastian frowned as he glanced longingly at the door.

"Thad just got his license so we're going for a ride." Hunter said bluntly.

"Where to?" Sebastian wondered.

"Oh I dunno, maybe…pedocademy." He smirked mischievously.

Sebastian's eyebrows raised in surprise. He had been told many stories about the baby school from older students: fat, hairy men with small dicks that liked to poop in diapers and then eat them. They were nothing but a bunch of perverted pedophiles. At least, that's what they did on Lifetimes movies. Sebastian had only really ever seen them in passing at the mall or the grocery store. "Why?"

"Because it'd be funny, that's why." Hunter huffed as if it was obvious.

The skinnier of the two frowned uncertainly. "I don't know…won't we get in trouble?"

Hunter's face fell into a look of disbelief. "Do you hear yourself right now? You sound like a fucking foot licker."

At that, Sebastian stiffened and his head snapped up. "Hey, I'm just saying that we'll probably lose our weekend privileges if we leave without permission."

"Oh, is the poor little subby afraid of being caned?" Hunter crooned.

"What? No! I'm no sub!" He growled.

"Then act like it." His friend challenged, stepping closer. "Thad and I are going. Have fun eating out of the headmaster's hand for the rest of your life." He said with a mean smile.

"Just shut up! I'll go, happy?" Sebastian snapped.

Hunter smirked. "Very." He nodded and led Sebastian out to the parking lot.

That blasted rock music as they rode down the street. Sebastian resisted the urge to cover his ears, always having been drawn towards a softer, gentler genre. Thad, being a junior and two years older than Sebastian and Hunter, had just inherited his dad's old pick-up as a celebration gift for getting his license and was more than happy to use it to the very fullest. While Sebastian himself thoroughly questioned the safety and stability of the beat-up death trap, the other two howled along with the lyrics without a worry in their minds.

"There it is!" Hunter grinned eagerly as they approached. In the distance he could see the colorful towers that painted the playground. "Fucking sissies."

"I heard that parents and babies like to have diaper sex." Thad whispered scandalously.

"What the hell is that?" Sebastian couldn't help but ask. His eyes flickered out the window towards the growing playground.

"It's when a baby shits its diaper and then the mom or dad cuts a hole in it and fucks them." Thad replied, cackling as the two boys recoiled in disgust.

"Ugh!" Sebastian grimaced. "I didn't need to know that!"

"It's true. Noah Puckerman told me last year." Thad replied as if that confirmed a credible source.

"You mean that two year senior who cleans pools and bangs cougars?" Hunter laughed. "Why would you believe anything he says?"

"Shut up, he's street smart. He's seen it all." Thad defended. "What do you guys know anyways? You're just a couple of third years."

"It doesn't matter. It's just a stupid rumor." Hunter rolled his eyes.

Sebastian glanced out the window again and his stomach fluttered. "We're already here so just drop it, okay?"

Grumbling, Thad got out of the truck and chuckled evilly. "Holy shit, it's freakier than I thought!" He ran over to the page fence and rattled it violently, causing sunhat-clad heads to turn. "Hello kiddies!" He cackled like a rabid hyena.

Sebastian slowly approached the fence and peered at the…babies through the gate. Little girls with pigtails and frilly dresses swung back and forth on oversized baby swings. Boys in rompers and Velcro sandals dug holes in a colossal sandbox. There were little heaps of sand; former sand castles that had been demolished and rebuilt hundreds of times by clumsy hands. None of the kids really seemed to have a clear goal. They sort of just sat around and played with toys. Sebastian made a face. Didn't that get boring? What did they even do all day?

"Come on!" Hunter jostled him, pulling his attention away from the babies. "We're gonna hop the fence."

"This is illegal." He pointed out as he scaled the tall fence with Hunter and Thad.

"Yeah, Mom, I know." Thad rolled his eyes. "Relax, will you?" He jumped down on the other side of the fence and cracked his knuckles, looking at the bumbling babies like slabs of prime rib.

"Hey," Hunter nudged his friend, "relax. We won't get caught."

"What am I supposed to do?" Sebastian questioned.

"Watch and learn." Thad smirked before he and Hunter ran over to the sandbox.

"Well aren't you adorable?" Hunter crooned. This particular group of kids seemed to be well aware of whom they were and the boy sitting directly in front of him whimpered. As he attempted to crawl away, Hunter seized the back of his diaper and shoved in a pile of sand, laughing with Thad as the kid wriggled and cried.

"Go 'way!" Another boy ordered, throwing his bottle at the boys.

Hunter caught it easily and glared at him. "I could shove this so far up your-

" _Hey!"_

All three boys turned and watched an angry old woman charging towards them at top speed. "Oh shit!" Hunter gasped in alarm, tossing the bottle to Sebastian who fumbled and dropped it. "Time to go!"

"What in God's name do you boys think you're doing?" The woman hollered. She kind of looked like a school nurse with a long white dress that fluttered at her calves as she stomped across the playground.

"C'mon Seb!"

Sebastian turned to find Thad and Hunter sprinting back to the fence. He quickly shot after them and joined in clambering frantically up the fence. With all of the panic he was experiencing, he found it extremely difficult to get a good grip. His shoes kept slipping and his heart pounded. Hunter and Thad were already on the other side, staring at him urgently. He was only a couple feet off of the ground when a hand clamped around his ankle and yanked him down. Landing on his back, he groaned at the impact and looked up just in time to see his two friends speed off in that damn truck. The woman, surprisingly strong, hoisted him to his feet and he frantically tried to tug his arm out of her grip but he wasn't going anywhere.

Sebastian couldn't imagine anything more mortifying than being led through the halls of baby school by a large nurse with an uncomfortably tight grip. Other women, some old, some young, and even a couple of men all dressed in white gave him curious looks as he was pulled through the school. He couldn't deny that he stuck out like a sore thumb with his tight black leather and rattling chains: a drastic contrast from the pristine uniforms and colorfully decorated hallways. She guided him into an office that instead of looking like a rainbow threw up in it, was decorated with calm neutrals and comfortable looking arm chairs.

"Wait here." The woman instructed, gesturing to the chairs. "The…headmaster will see you shortly."

Sinking into one of the chairs, Sebastian began to panic. What if they made him stay here? What if he got suspended or expelled? Suddenly, he turned white. What if he got Punished? The last kid to get Punished by headmaster had been immediately isolated by all of his peers. Sebastian was pretty sure he'd have to switch schools if that occurred. No matter what happened, Sebastian knew that he was completely and utterly dead. His parents would probably disown him, send him far away. Why did he even let Hunter manipulate him in the first place? He didn't even want to go! Wasn't it him who had opposed the whole thing from the very beginning? If he hadn't let Hunter get to him, he would be eating lunch with everybody else while Hunter sat in this goddamn office instead of him. Hunter would be the one who was Punished and that asshole would never call him a foot licker again. Everyone would see Hunter's true color's then.

"Mr. Smythe?"

Sebastian looked up and glanced towards the door that the voice had originated from. An older, burly man approached him with calm, relaxed steps and held out his hand to shake. He precariously took it, noticing how soft his hands were. He was dressed in a finely tailored gray suit and he had a short, white beard. His glasses were round and magnified his eyes, which looked so chilled and laid-back that Sebastian had to wonder if the man was on something. There was a nice looking watch on his wrist and Sebastian's stomach flipped when he realized that lunch was long over and is teachers would definitely be noticing his absence by now.

"Why don't we go talk somewhere a little more private? I bet you're probably feeling a little scared right now." The man invited. His voice was so soothing that Sebastian couldn't help going along with whatever he had to say. He slowly rose from his chair and dumbly followed the man into his office.

It was much larger than the Headmaster's office at his own school. Instead of the shackles, chains, crops and leather whips that decorated his office, there was a mural of pictures, crudely drawn in bright crayon. The walls themselves were a soft yellow and as he entered, his buckled boots quickly sank a little into the plush carpet. On the left sat two armchairs in front of a large oak desk. To the right there was a big chest overflowing with toys. Beside that rested a dollhouse and a table that was already set up for a tea party.

"Take a seat." The man offered and Sebastian did just that, slowly easing into the chair so soft that it threatened to swallow him whole. The headmaster sat down behind the desk and moved a few papers out of the way.

Sebastian looked forward and studied the top of the desk. A teddy bear faced him wearing a little tag around its neck that read "CUDDLE ME!" A bowl of individually wrapped pacifiers was nearly overflowing onto the desk and near the corner of the wooden slab was a small stack of animal crackers available for the taking. Overall, it was the epitome of baby school squeezed into a single office space.

"So I've been told you and some friends of yours were teasing my little ones." The man stated. "But they ran off and left you here with us?"

Blushing brightly, Sebastian nodded and fiddled with the chains on his belt. He had always been taught that Parents were hardly even doms, but something about this man made him avert his eyes despite the friendly demeanor.

The man seemed to notice his nervousness because he leaned back casually and folded his hands atop his stomach. "My name is Kirk Clemens. I am the headfather of this school. I suppose you have a headmaster as well." When Sebastian continued his silence, the headma-father leaned forward and lifted up the bowl of pacifiers. "Would you like one? They're candy coated and from what I've seen, pretty relaxing."

Sebastian turned positively scarlet and immediately shook his head in refusal, appalled at such an offer. He tapped his foot and bounced his heel anxiously. "I just want to get this over with and get back to my classes if you don't mind." He forced himself to say.

Mr. Clemens looked him over for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I don't want to waste any of your learning time." He shuffled some papers and checked something on the laptop beside him. "Sebastian Smythe, year three, correct?"

Sebastian nodded and gnawed on his thumbnail. It was a nervous habit of his that he had failed to get rid of in his youth and now served as the object of many jokes, thanks to Hunter.

"And can you tell me what you were doing off campus during school hours?" Mr. Clemens asked.

Sebastian deflated a bit. "We were just going for a ride." He shrugged. There was no use lying about the other two. The nurse lady had clearly seen them.

"We?"

He had expected this. While he was not going to lie about being alone, he wasn't going to be a rat either. "Just some other kids." He replied.

"Friends of yours?" Clemens smiled. "Not very good friends for leaving you here by yourself."

Sebastian shrugged again and didn't reply, turning his attention to the buckles on his tall boots.

"Well you seem like a pretty good kid, Sebastian. I don't want to see you get in too much trouble."

The boy looked up at him curiously. Was the man trying to negotiate with him?

"You want to know what I think? I think that you were pressured into coming here with your friends and you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Am I right?"

Sebastian hesitated before nodding the tiniest bit. He brought his thumb up to his lips again and began to chew.

"So how about I call the school to come get you and explain that you got a little lost on your way to getting some lunch, alright?"

Sebastian's head snapped up in surprise. A headmaster was going to lie? For a third year student? What kind of school was this?"

"All I ask is that I never see you in this office again, okay?" Clemens confirmed.

"Okay." Sebastian cautiously agreed. He slowly stood up as Mr. Clemens rose and started to leave.

"You wait here, Mr. Smythe. Someone will be here shortly to take you back."

After he left, Sebastian exhaled and allowed himself to look around, his eyes eventually drifting towards the bowl of pacifiers. Would it be weird to take one? Just for shits and giggles? He could always say he stole it from a baby and forgot to drop it while being chased. The man did say that it was alright to take one. And they were candy covered. It would be like one of those Baby Bottle Pops he used to eat as a kid. No big deal. He reached his hand towards the bowl and studied each individual pacifier until he spotted a green and orange one that he sort of liked. (The colors of course not the binky.) It crinkled loudly in the cellophane as he picked it up, but he quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

"Alright, someone is on their way." Clemens said suddenly from the doorway.

Sebastian jumped in surprise. Had he seen him take the pacifier? He studied the man's face, but he still had the same welcoming smile he always did.

"You can either wait in here or out front."

Sebastian quickly headed for the door. Yes, please. Anywhere but in this office belonging to a freakish man child.

One of the school's drivers came to retrieve him. He quickly climbed into the back of the car without a word to Mr. Clemens or the chauffeur. The lump in his pocket burned a hole in the leather of his pants. He didn't dare take it out, or even look at it. Not until he was in the safety of his dorm with the door locked and his roommate gone. For now, he was just eager to forget everything that had happened. He was going to have to start preparing an alibi for the interview that Hunter would surely have for him once he returned as well.

Before any of that could happen, however, he was sent straight to the headmaster's office. The dark gray walls and black tiled floor seemed so much colder and severe after the plush wonderland he'd recently departed from. Headmaster gave him a nod and Sebastian bowed deeply before taking a seat in one of the rock-hard chairs.

"Looks like you've found your way back." Headmaster commented.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian mumbled, averting his gaze.

"I don't recall you being granted permission to leave the grounds."

"No, sir."

"What is your excuse?"

"No excuse, sir." Sebastian's eyes flickered over to Headmaster's extensive collection of whips and paddles, which were displayed proudly on the wall behind his desk. He shook slightly.

"Position six." Headmaster ordered.

Sebastian watched Headmaster reach for a short whip and swallowed the lump in his throat. He stood obediently and removed his shirt with trembling fingers before shuffling over to the wall where two hand prints had been made using white paint. He placed his own palms over them. Clenching his teeth, he spread his legs a little to brace himself and waited.

He got out with five. He had some nasty welts no doubt, but Headmaster was an expert and he knew better than to make any bloody mistakes. He was sent to his room without dinner and was not to leave until morning for class. Oddly enough, Sebastian didn't quite mind the isolation if it meant not having to deal with Hunter so soon. It would give him time to smooth out his story.

As his shirt rubbed against the welts, he couldn't stop a hiss from escaping his lips, but once he had reached his room, he was able to remove it and let the cool air soothe the stinging. He flopped down on his bed and the package crinkled again in his pocket. Having completely forgotten about his little…souvenir, he quickly sat up and glanced at the clock. Two hours before class ended for the day. Approximately two hours and fifteen minutes of privacy…

The first thing Sebastian did was get up and lock the door. It never hurt to be a little careful. Then he pulled his chemistry textbook out so that he could at least have an excuse for what he was doing if anybody came in unexpected and asked. Finally, he kicked off his shoes and exchanged his tight leather uniform pants for some fluffy pajamas, still black of course. There. Now he was ready.

Sebastian was NOT a baby. He had no interest in being a stupid diaper-shitting pedo, or playing with dumb kid toys. It just so happened that he had a little bit of undiagnosed anxiety that resulted in bitten-down nails and night terrors and, as a younger kid, a few mornings involving wet sheets and bad memories. He had tried many things: rubber bands, chewing gum, fidget rings...and when he saw that ridiculous bowl of pacifiers on the desk, something surfaced in the back of his mind. Something involving oral fixations and worrying and...binkies. This had nothing to do with littles, Sebastian reminded himself as he stared down at it. This has to do with easing some stress, with bettering himself.

Sebastian clambered onto his bed and ripped open the plastic. After making sure that there was no evidence of what it was anywhere on the wrapper, he tossed it in the trash. As promised, there was a shiny, transparent shell coating the rubber nipple of the otherwise seemingly normal pacifier. It obviously wasn't very high quality but for a makeshift, it would definitely do. He held the object by its little plastic ring. The whole thing was comparably larger than the ones that real babies had and the rubber nipple itself had been specially designed for somebody with teeth.

Sebastian examined it thoroughly and sighed a little to try and extinguish some of the nerves that were starting to work themselves up in his stomach. He could just pretend it was gag candy. A joke. With one last glance to the door, Sebastian brought the candy to his lips and pressed it into his mouth.

It was weird. While it tasted like he was just sucking on a lollipop, the shield pressed against his upper lip and condensation formed as a result of only being able to breathe through his nose. Curious as to what he must look like, he walked over to the bathroom and peered at himself in the mirror. He looked like an idiot. In fact, the very idea was stupid. All he saw was a grown teenager with a baby binky in his mouth. He thought back to the kids on the playground and frowned. Why was it that they could look cute with pacifiers while he just looked like a creep? Not that it mattered. This was about stress relief, not looking cute.

He bit down on the candy shell to make it crack and the pieces quickly shattered apart in his mouth. The pacifier was immediately pulled out and rinsed off in the sink. (The last thing he needed was ants) Then he popped it back in. Now that the candy was gone, the binky felt soft and malleable against his tongue and he shut the door just in case, locking it behind him. He leaned back against it and slowly slid to the floor, his knees to his chest, and took a deep breath. One time when he was thirteen, Thad snuck a couple of cigarettes from his Father's room and standing behind the school, next to the dumpster, the three friends had choked their way through the first one. By the time they started the second, Sebastian was able to take a drag that sent a rush of calm through his bloodstream and now, as he sat with his head resting against the door, eyes shut, the same sensation washed over him. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that nearly forty minutes had passed and he stood up, reluctantly pulling out the pacifier and leaving the bathroom.

Sebastian scanned the room for potential hiding places. It had to be somewhere nobody would suspect, but also in a place where it wouldn't be discovered accidentally. His desk? No, his roommate could go in there looking for supplies or something. His underwear drawer? Ew, and he would constantly be opening and closing it. Sebastian groaned. There were not many options for him. He took a seat on his bed and huffed, flopping down onto his pillow with the pacifier still gently squeezed in his hand. His other hand travelled over the pillow to play idly with the zipper. If only he had a locking chest or something…

Sebastian stopped and looked at the zipper. An idea came to him and he abruptly sat up, inspecting the zipper before opening it up and poking a hand inside. It was perfect. Nobody would ever suspect it and even if they did use the pillow for something, it was highly unlikely that they would actually come across it. However, there was now the problem of the feathers inside sticking to the damp rubber. He glanced around in search for something he could use as a barrier. There was always the option of getting the wrapper out of the trash but Sebastian wasn't sure how he liked that idea. Maybe his roommate had some Ziploc bags. He was constantly smuggling food up from the cafeteria, the pig. Keeping the pacifier secure in his grip, he ventured over to his roommate's side, stepping around the heaps of dirty clothes and discarded food wrappers. He carefully opened the top drawer of the boy's desk and sure enough, there lied an almost new box of Ziploc sandwich bags. Sebastian grabbed one and dropped the pacifier in before pinching it shut and hurrying back his own bed to stuff the object in his pillow. With a quick zip, he closed it shut and fixed the pillowcase to partially cover it once more. Now that he was finished with that particular nuisance, he could finally get started with his homework assignments.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fall 2006, Year 3**

Sebastian was eating breakfast. After starving for nearly an entire day, he had piled his tray with all of the eggs, pastries, and fruit he could get. He was just biting into a buttered bagel when Hunter came up behind him and snatched it from his hands. As he watched the boy chew it up with a satisfied hum, Sebastian came to the realization that he may be capable of taking a human life.

"Hey, you're alive!" Hunter grinned. He took a seat beside the brunet and Thad plopped down across from him only seconds later.

"Hunter and I started making bets on whether those pedos would keep you to themselves. We argued over who gets your stuff." The junior smirked.

"What was it like on the inside?" Hunter asked. "I bet it smelled like shit!"

Sebastian shrugged. "It was colorful. Everything was bright and soft."

"Aw, how sweet." Hunter crooned. "Were there talking animals and dancing cartoon flowers too?"

"Shut up." Sebastian rolled his eyes. He reached for a muffin, only to have it seized by Thad. His stomach growled.

"So what did they do to you?" Thad asked between bites.

"The lady just took me to the Headfa-master."

"Was he wearing baby clothes?" Hunter inquired, leaning in. "Or was he naked? Pumping his cock and waiting for his catch of the day?"

Sebastian grimaced and gave him a shove. "That's disgusting. He just said he didn't want to see me in his office again and told Headmaster that I was lost."

"He lied to Headmaster for you?" Thad frowned skeptically. "But he doesn't even know you."

"What Sebby's not telling us is that he had to give the creep a blowjob. Isn't that right, my faggy friend?" Hunter cackled, but this time it was just him laughing.

"Dude." Thad frowned and for once, it was Hunter who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm just kidding." He huffed defensively. "So what did Headmaster do to you when he found out you left campus?"

"Ten lashings with a whip." Sebastian admitted, earning a sympathetic hiss from Thad.

"I bet you're feeling those now." He cringed.

"I guess." Sebastian shrugged.

"Don't play cool. I'll bet you were crying like a baby." Hunter scoffed.

"Shut up. You'd probably be pissing yourself before Headmaster even told you to assume Position." Sebastian retorted.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

On Saturday, Hunter approached him after lunch and gave him a friendly shove. "Hey, Thad and I are going for a ride. Come on."

Sebastian sighed. It w _as_ Saturday, meaning students could leave during the day as long as they were back by curfew. "Where?"

"Not sure, maybe the mall?" Hunter shrugged.

Sebastian considered this carefully. Nothing could go too wrong at the mall. "Um…yeah, okay."

Hunter grinned. "Then let's go. Thad's waiting outside with the truck."

Sebastian abandoned the few remnants of his lunch and walked out to the parking lot. The two freshmen clambered into the truck and soon they were leaving the school behind them. Thad turned on the radio and Hunter reclined happily in his seat. Sebastian turned and stared out the window, attempting to drown out the loud music that attacked his senses and hurt his ears. Landscape and houses passed. Then stores, restaurants, hotels, and the mall.

Sebastian stiffened and sat up. "Hey, I think we just passed the mall."

"What? Oh, I meant the store, not the mall." Hunter shrugged.

The brunet's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What store?" He glanced up and his stomach flipped when familiar jungle gym towers came into view.

"Babies R Us." Hunter laughed as Thad parked along the side of the rode. The two tumbled out of the pickup giggling giddily.

"What is wrong with you guys? Hasn't you last visit here thought you anything?" Sebastian snapped.

"Oh come on, don't be a pussy." Hunter frowned.

"Yeah, where's your sense of excitement?" Thad added.

Sebastian scowled at them. "I'm staying right here!"

"What's wrong Sebastian? Scared?" Thad teased.

"Is widdle Bassy-boo afwaid of getting in twouble?" Hunter cooed mockingly.

"Shut the fuck up." Sebastian huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as a shiver went up his spine.

"Oh, da baby's cwanky. Maybe he needs his diapey changed." The other freshman continued teasing.

"Enough!" Sebastian snapped. "I'll go! Just shut up already!"

"Then actually do something this time." Thad told him. "It's not a zoo. People are going to think you just come to look at babies."

"They might think you want to be one." Hunter snorted.

"Okay, I get it." Sebastian replied in annoyance. He pouted, following the other two over to the playground that was not only swarming with babies, but rather ordinary-looking teens as well. They interacted with the babies, building sandcastles, pushing swings, or playing with balls. A baby would occasionally start to cry and three or four teens would swarm around him to stop his crying.

The front gate was unlocked this time, so the boys walked right in with ease. They were able to blend in a little better this time since they were out of school attire, but their ripped jeans and leather cuffs still made a bit of a statement. Hunter leaned back towards him and smirked.

"Alright, what do you say we help keep these losers on their toes?"

Thad grinned, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "Whoever makes the most babies cry wins all desserts for a week. Loser does all laundry for a month."

"Deal." Hunter replied and before Sebastian could object, they were off.

Not wanting to be the odd one out, he carefully looked around for any nurse-looking people before approaching a chubby little boy in overalls and yanking his pacifier from his mouth. The boy immediately looked up with a large frown on his face.

"Bibi." He said and reached out for it, making a grabbing motion with his hands. His frown got even larger when the master in training ignored him. Sebastian studied the pacifier and couldn't resist comparing it to his own little secret. This one was definitely better quality, but other than that they were fairly identical in shape and function. The boy whimpered against and Sebastian hesitated before dropping the thing with a reluctant sigh, wincing a little as it cracked under his platform boot. The boy's lip wobbled and Sebastian felt a pang of remorse as he burst into tears. Before he could turn to leave, a brunet boy rushed over and pulled out another pacifier from virtually nowhere. Did these things grow on trees? He took the opportunity to slip away, but couldn't resist glancing back to watch the older boy slip it into the toddler's mouth and rub his back, cooing until all of his bawling had died down. With a hurt look cast towards Sebastian, the giant baby crawled away and Sebastian quickly headed towards one of the far corners of the playground, pretending to survey the yard for his next target.

"What the heck is your problem?"

Sebastian looked up, surprised that somebody was actually speaking to him. "Me?"

"Yes, you." The boy from before scowled, standing up to his full height. He was just a few inches taller than Sebastian with shiny, dark brown hair and large brown eyes to match. "You're a master in training, I can tell by your…" He looked around to check for any babies that might be within hearing distance, but they were alone. "…by your douche-y outfit."

"And what are you?" Sebastian asked defensively. "The pedophile's apprentice?"

"Oh shut up. You're nothing more than a sadist with your whips and chains." The boy scoffed. "Anyway, you shouldn't even be here. This is private property. Go back to your own school if you think it's so great."

"Honestly, I would love to." Sebastian snapped. "This place is fucking gross to look at."

"Then why are you even here?"

"Because…" Sebastian sighed tiredly and stuck his hands in his pockets. "My friends tricked me." He muttered absently.

The brunet cocked his head curiously. "What's your name?"

"Why, you gonna tell on me?" Sebastian asked. When the boy didn't reply, he sighed a crossed his arms over his chest. "It's Sebastian. And you?"

"Nick." The boy replied. "And aren't you a little young to be terrorizing babies already? Usually it's just juniors and seniors. You're like, twelve."

"Fourteen, actually." Sebastian corrected testily. "And anyway, it's none of your business. What are you, my father?"

"Daddy? Yes. Yours? You wish." Nick sneered.

"Oh, I'm heartbroken." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Covering insecurity with sarcasm? You and your dogfaced friends need to clear out before I call security." Nick retorted. "Now if you excuse me, I have some children to take care of…other than yourself that is." With a haughty smirk, he turned and stalked away.

Sebastian watched him in disbelief. Were all parents as snobby and pretentious as that kid? Probably, but he couldn't imagine why. What was so great about cleaning up someone else's shit and waiting on them hand and foot? That sounded a lot like slave stuff to him.

"Hey!" Hunter called, rushing over. "We gotta go."

"What? Why?" Sebastian asked as Hunter grabbed his arm and started to run.

"One of those perverts just ratted us out. We're all gonna be fucked if we don't get out of here now."

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Sebastian snapped panickedly. Once Thad caught up with them they raced towards the exit. Sebastian nearly bumped straight into that Nick kid again, who gave him a smug, knowing smile. He scowled at him and raced towards the truck, letting out a sigh of relief as they all piled in and sped off down the road just as a few of those nurses appeared at the gate.

"This is the second time this week!" Joanne fumed as the truck disappeared out of sight. "If this keeps happening, I'm going to have to talk to the Head-Daddy about increasing security."

"Are they the same kids from Tuesday?" Allison asked. "Or maybe some of our volunteers saw them?"

"I know one." Nick spoke up. He was playing with a little girl and couldn't resist eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Really?" Joanne asked. "Who?"

Hunter, Thad, and Sebastian were called to Headmaster's office less than an hour after they'd returned. They bowed respectfully before taking their seats in the uncomfortable chairs.

"Are you boys familiar with the infantilism school across town?" The man asked. He must have been busy because he cut right to the chase.

"No sir." "Yes, sir." Hunter and Sebastian said at the same time. Hunter gave him a dirty look, but the boy kept his eyes trained solely on Headmaster.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Headmaster replied. He leaned forward in his large leather chair and peered at them with cold, calculating eyes that made Sebastian squirm uncomfortably. "Well, their headmaster just gave me a rather unpleasant call. It seems that some of my boys were creating a disturbance on their property. Reckless behavior, noise complaints, harassment, destruction of private property…"

Sebastian thought back to the pacifier he had broken and paled. Was it such a big deal that he had stepped on the piece of plastic? Nurses probably did it all the time by accident.

"Look, boys." Headmaster stated. "I understand a little lighthearted teasing of those…" he made a "go on" motion with his hand and didn't finish the sentence. "I'm all for tradition and upholding reputation, but you've got to ease up a bit. Those faint-hearted creatures are sensitive and they scare easy. The last thing we need is getting the police involved or something."

 _Creatures._ Sebastian thought absently.

"Unfortunately, they are insisting that you pay for any and all damage caused with some good old-fashioned work."

"What?" Hunter groaned. "How much can a stupid baby swing really cost?"

Sebastian sighed in relief. So it wasn't his fault after all.

"I agree, but the best way to get this behind us is to give them what they want." Headmaster replied. "Tomorrow you will spend the day helping out with any tasks they ask of you."

"What if they try to convert us?" Thad spoke up. "There's gotta be another way."

"I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to tough it out." Headmaster shrugged. Then, before any other complaints could be made, he said "Dismissed."

The boys sighed and stood up, shuffling out of the office and down the tiled hallway. "Nice going, Sebastian." Hunter grumbled. "I was going to go to the mall tomorrow with Emily Vaughn tomorrow. Have you seen the tits on that girl?"

Sebastian's head snapped up. "Me? How the heck is this my fault?" He asked incredulously.

"If you hadn't gotten caught the first time, they wouldn't have known who we are!" Hunter said roughly. Grabbing the front of Sebastian's shirt, he shoved him up against a wall. "You snitched on us! Didn't you!"

"No! I'm no rat! One of those freaks probably did." The freshman spat.

"Really? That's strange seeing as they can't possibly know my name!" Hunter barked, banging him against the bricks again. "Dirty little nark."

"Hey! Cut it out!" Thad frowned. "If the Headmaster catches you fighting then you'll really be in trouble." He grabbed the back of Hunter's jacket and yanked him away.

Sebastian took the opportunity to move away and held up his fists in preparation to defend himself. Only when Hunter had cooled down and straightened out his jacket did Sebastian let down his guard. "I swear I didn't tell on anybody. They didn't get you last time, did they?"

Hunter shrugged. "Whatever, man. Don't be so defensive."

Sebastian sighed and looked at him in disbelief. "Alright, I've got homework to do. I'll see you guys later." With that, he took off down the hall and listened carefully to make sure he wasn't being followed. His roommate was at home for the weekend so he made a beeline to his dorm. This took about four minutes and then he locked the door securely and shut the curtains. He wasn't sure why, but something about Hunter really made him nervous, like that someday he may live up to his name and decide to murder him in the dead of night. He flopped down on the bed and his mind flashed to the playground. The fantastical realness of bright, diverse colors and jungle gyms fed the imagination like a buffet. Trade ball gags for pacifiers, chains for swings, and cages for play pens... It was like some sort of Neverland where nobody ever had to grow up. Eternal youth and a lifetime of blissful ignorance. Did these people realize what they had created? If so, they were not perverts, but misunderstood geniuses.

Sebastian sat up and looked at his pillow with the treasure inside. Could he be one of them? Was it possible that his parents had been wrong the whole time? All his life he'd been told that he was destined to be a powerful master, a man of high society. Had they been wrong?

Sebastian quickly banished the thought. That was ridiculous. He was making a mountain out of a mole hole. He was a dom through and through and this whole thing with the infantilism school just had him all mixed up. There was nothing wrong with him and once he finally got away from that place for good, he would without a doubt begin to feel like his old self again.

He took a shower.

When he stepped out, Sebastian caught his image in the sliding mirror and paused. He didn't even look like a baby. He was tall and skinny, probably taller than any mommy or daddy. Any baby fat he'd had vanished in primary school and was replaced by a lean coating of muscle tone. His face wasn't remotely cute in anyway, stuck in it's permanent, bored frown. The only thing he really had going for him baby-wise was his ass, which he thought was perfectly round and toned, not to seem vain or anything. Babies were supposed to have good butts, right? _Was_ his ass good? He wasn't actually sure. Sebastian stalked out of the bathroom, turning the light off as he did. He stepped into some boxer briefs and softer pajamas. Having lost his motivation to do anything, he burrowed under his covers and turned on the T.V. As expected, there was nothing on that really caught his interest so he gave the kid channels a try. Dora…Disney…Spongebob was pretty okay. He set the remote on top of his covers by his thigh and rested back on his pillows to get comfortable.

After a few minutes, Sebastian glanced at the door to make sure it was still locked before sitting up and pulling his pillow into his lap. His fingers clumsily opened the zipper and reached inside, going deeper until his fingers brushed plastic. He grabbed onto the bag and pulled it out. Sure enough, the pacifier was still there in all of its glory. Sebastian opened the bag and set it on his bedside table. His pillow was replaced and the pacifier slowly went into his mouth. It started out weird. The rubber was cold and seemed to soak all of the moisture from his mouth but after a while, it warmed up with the rest of his body and sucking on it became easier. Suddenly, that cigarette feeling hit him again and he sank into his bed, forgetting all about Hunter and Thad and baby school and Headmaster. He burrowed under his warm covers and stared at the T.V. screen with his pacifier bobbing in his mouth. It wasn't a baby thing, just a way to distress.

He looked around and sighed, wishing he had something to hug.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fall 2006, Year 3**

"You've got to be kidding me." Jeff gaped as the three masters-in-training filed into the playground. Hunter and Thad had insisted on wearing their best dom gear, consisting of tight leather pants, spiked cuffs, chained belts and leather jackets. Not wanting to stand out, Sebastian had dug deep and found his only pair of blue skinny jeans and his lacrosse jersey. The less people know who he was, the better.

"What are you even doing here?" Another boy glared.

Sebastian studied him. He had dark hair gelled down into a perfect shining shell and a stupid bowtie around his neck that matched his preppy polo shirt.

"Didn't they tell you? We're volunteering." Hunter sneered. "Gonna show those freaks what a _real_ punishment is." He made a whipping motion and laughed at the apprehension in everyone's faces.

"Liars." Nick scowled. "I bet you got in trouble for your stunt yesterday, didn't you?" He smirked smugly and placed his hands on his hips.

"Doesn't matter. Headmaster sent us over here so your sissy principal would stop his whining about his precious baby swing." Thad rolled his eyes. "We're not in any real trouble."

Bowtie kid stepped forward but before he could say a single word to defend the head of their sister school, several nurses bustled into the yard with clipboards gripped tightly in their hands. They eyed the three boys cautiously and tightened their lips disapprovingly.

"Is everyone here?" One of the women called. The small group of boys and girls smiled brightly and nodded while the three misfits shifted uncomfortably. "Okay…"

The other nurse studied her clipboard, the pen in her hand hovering inches above it. "We need three people to work in the kitchen, four in the playground doing yard work and two restocking supply closets."

All three girls that were present immediately raised their hands or the kitchen and followed one of the nurses back inside. Sebastian thought quickly. Supplies meant baby stuff, right? Including pacifiers? This could be his chance to get a real one instead of the cheap one that he'd nicked from the principal's office. Who knew? Maybe there were even Teddy bears or sippy cups or-

He stopped himself. Now he was going too far. He was no baby! So what if pacifiers were good for stress? He wasn't a baby! Besides, how could he possibly hope to smuggle a Teddy bear out of a school with nurses and Hunter breathing down his neck? He had to be careful. If he was caught, the consequences would be extremely dire.

"I'll stock closets." Sebastian shrugged casually, earning a number of suspicious looks.

Hunter, thinking that it was some sort of plot, grinned evilly. "That sounds lovely, Sebastian. Uh, miss? I too would like to stock closets." He stated.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at them hatefully. Sebastian fought down a blush. Now he would really be watched. That is, until Nick raised his hand. "I'll go with Sebastian."

"Alright." The nurse agreed, wiping the smile from Hunter's face. She turned to look at him and Thad. "You two will stay outside and tend to the yard with Blaine and Jeff."

"What?" Thad scowled. "That's some bullshit."

"And it would do you good to fix that foul mouth of yours." The woman snapped.

"Or else what? You gonna wash his mouth out with soap? We're shaking." Hunter grinned.

The other students stared at them in disbelief, horrified that they were treating the woman with so much disrespect.

"C'mon, guys." Sebastian murmured. "Just give it a rest." He was relieved when they said nothing else and after specific jobs had been assigned to the yard workers, Nick and Sebastian followed the lady inside through the familiar bright hallways. They went down some stairs into what might have been a basement if it hadn't been painted to look like a circus tent.

"Here we are." The nurse announced, gesturing to the big stacks of cardboard boxes. "Can you explain to him how it works, Nick?"

"Yes ma'am." The brunet nodded and Sebastian had to resist gagging. Was everyone in this place such a goody two-shoes? As the nurse walked away, Nick strutted over to the box pile and pulled a big flatbed cart out from behind it. "Okay, there are thirteen different boxes in this pile and we need two of each. Look for the boxes labeled 'pacifiers' and place two on the cart. Then do the same with boxes labeled 'tissues'. When you're done with that, I'll give you two more."

Sebastian's stomach flipped as he searched through boxes until discovering the one labeled pacifiers. To think that he was holding an entire package of them made him feel oddly giddy, but at the same time, shaky with fear. He quickly set them on the car and hunted down the tissues before adding them as well. "Now what?" The freshman asked, looking around the basement idly. He glanced back at the flatbed to find that it was nearly full and something told him that Nick didn't really need his help on this.

"Now we go upstairs." Nick stated as he heaved the last box onto the cart. Sebastian stared at his arms, loving the way his muscles strained. It made him wonder if Nick could pick him up. "Each hallway has a supply closet. We stock them each and take inventory."

Sebastian nodded and stood beside Nick so that they could slowly wheel the heavy cart towards the basement elevator. They managed to fit it in, which was not an easy feat and the boys were forced to stand pressed up against one another for an awkward forty seconds. Once they reached the main floor, they both let out a sigh of relief and had a much easier time taking it out.

"All classrooms are on the first floor. Dormitories are upstairs." Nick informed him as they slowly traveled through the hallway.

"That's like my school." Sebastian thought aloud. "So where are all of the babies?" So far he hadn't seen a single one.

"Breakfast at the moment. Then they will either be taken outside or to a playroom to relax or work on academics." Nick answered.

"Academics?" The master-in-training questioned. "I thought babies just sat around all day playing blocks and pissing themselves."

"Babies learn everything we do. My older brother's little girl is fluent in Spanish and French." Nick said proudly. "As surprising as it may be, most of the stuff you hear about babies and parents aren't true." He scowled. "Don't think we haven't heard the stories. Eating feces…molesting children…just because we're different from you, doesn't mean we're monsters."

Sebastian nodded, deciding to end the conversation. Suddenly he felt kind of ashamed of himself for ever believing Hunter's and Thad's ridiculous tales.

They stopped at the first supply closet, which was still pretty full. Nick picked a clipboard up off the flatbed and surveyed it briefly before glancing at the shelves. "Count the number of pacifiers in that bucket."

Sebastian did as he was told, then again with diapers, paper towel rolls, latex gloves, cleaning solution, baby wipes, and everything else until all was accounted for. What needed to be restocked was and then it was on to the next one…and the next one…and the next one. He was restocking tubes of diaper rash cream when Nick's phone buzzed. The older boy pulled it out and looked at the screen, then at Sebastian. "I need to check on something. Finish stocking this closet and I'll be right back."

Sebastian nodded as he took off and quickly checked to make sure nobody was around to witness the shameful act he was about to commit. Once Nick had turned the corner, he ripped open a bag of pacifiers and stuffed one, a green and purple on this time, into the side of one of his boots. Then he went back to placing things on the shelves, pretending that nothing had mattered more in his entire life than filling these closets. It wasn't until he pulled out a package of diapers that his sticky fingers returned. He had seen them under the onesies that the babies wore. They looked soft and secure and puffy and much more comfortable than his tight leather pants. He stared intently and tried to imagine the feeling between his legs, going to bed during finals without having to worry about his deep-seeded stress wetting that he would rather die before admitting to anyone. He couldn't. Sebastian bit his lip. Diapers were much riskier than pacifiers. At least those could easily be hidden. If anybody found one of those babyish garments anywhere near his person, there would be no question as to what would happen to him. So why was he stupid enough to actually take one and stick it in his pants?

He covered it up with his shirt and quickly went back to stocking just as Nick came scurrying down the hall. The boy silently picked up the clipboard and studied it, making Sebastian a little nervous. What if he noticed that there were a pacifier and a diaper missing? He tried to hide his nerves by placing more items on the shelf.

"We've got one more after this, right by the selection room." Nick announced.

"Sounds scary." Sebastian commented as he pushed the cart.

"It isn't. It's the first step of the student experience here." Nick replied.

"Is it like Hogwarts or something?" Sebastian joked. "Diaperpuff and Pacifidor?"

The older boy chuckled. "The sorting bonnet." Both boys laughed a little. "Nah, but whenever new students arrive, they are put in the room to select their playmate."

Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I'll show you when we get there." Nick promised.

After they had stocked the last closet, Nick took his hand and pulled him towards one of the rooms at the end of the hall, making the younger boy blush. Sebastian watched in anticipation as Nick took out a key and unlocked the door. Then, without any warning, he pushed the master-in-training through the doorway, making him stumble. When he turned the light on, Sebastian found himself facing with an entire room of stuffed animals, dolls, and plushies. His jaw dropped. They covered every inch of free space from the ceiling to the floor, leaving only a small walkway.

"What the heck is this?" He gaped. It was nearly impossible to keep his eyes trained solely on one thing with so many toys smiling back at him.

"Every new student get to select a doll from this room as their 'favorite toy'." Nick explained. "It's covered in the tuition and if your toy ever breaks or is unfixable, they'll replace it with an exact replica."

Sebastian nodded and looked around the room. He spotted a number of teddy bears in different styles, baby tolls, Sesame Street characters, and plush forms of just about every animal he could imagine. There were so many that Sebastian's eyes could hardly focus on just one thing. That is, until a big green lump caught his eye. Curiosity won over and without a second thought, he found himself wandering over and carefully picking up the thing for inspection. From what he could tell, it was a big green frog, about the size of a bread loaf with beady black eyes and a simple smile embroidered into his face. His arms and legs copied that of a teddy bear, ending in round nubs that Sebastian couldn't resist finding completely adorable. His mind drifted back to his fifth birthday, when his father sat him down in the den and gave him the "man" talk. He remembered the feeling of Father's stiff grip on his shoulder as he watched his blanky and his beloved stuffed frog burning in the fireplace. He'd held back his tears and his father had told him he was going to be a big, powerful man. He rubbed his thumb over the soft material and squeezed, his fingers curling around it's small body yearningly.

He heard the scuffing of a shoe by the doorway and froze, blushing brightly. He could feel Nick's eyes boring into his back and he gave the frog one last squeeze before reluctantly tossing it aside and clearing his throat. "This room is fucking creepy." He muttered, brushing past Nick into the hallway.

"Sir? Is it possible for a student to be sorted into the wrong school?" Nick asked softly. It was Tuesday. The last bell of the day had just rang and while his friends had immediately run out of the classroom to work on academics or socialize in the common room, Nick had stayed behind. It had taken him two days to work up the courage to talk to someone about what he'd seen, but if Sebastian needed help he wanted to make sure he got it.

Mr. Hamilton set down his grading pen and stared at his student. As the Wellness and Development teacher, kids often came to him with questions, but none like this. "I suppose so, but that would have to mean they lied on the Exam."

"But why would they lie? What's the point?" Nick frowned. "Why choose a lie over a life of happiness?"

Mr. Hamilton sat back in his chair. "Well, there have been instances of parents grooming their children for a specific lifestyle. Not everybody has the same priorities." He cocked his head. "Why do you ask, Nick?"

The brunet took a deep breath and looked at his feet. "There's this boy who goes to the master school and…and I think he might be a Little."

Mr. Hamilton sat up in his chair at the sound of that. "This is a very serious accusation, Mr. Duval. Do you have any proof?"

Nick blushed a little. "Well he doesn't act like the other MITs. He almost seems like he doesn't want to be with them." He insisted. "And…I took him in the selection room on Sunday."

"You know that's against the rules." The teacher frowned disapprovingly.

"But you should have seen him! There was this frog and he picked it up and stared at it like he had never seen anything more amazing in his entire life! I've seen that look a million times. I know what I saw." Nick assured him.

Mr. Hamilton sighed. "Well there's not a lot we can do here. For all we know, it could be a whole lot of nothing and that could lead to a lot of tension."

"But what if he really is a Little?" Nick asked.

"Then we'll have to wait until some hard evidence show up. Just play it safe for now, Nick. Outing this boy could mean potentially ruining his life as he knows it."

Nick sighed, clearly unsatisfied with that answer, but there was nothing else he could do unless he went to the master school to get a confession straight from the source. He knew exactly how that would end.

When Sebastian got back to school on Sunday, he immediately raced upstairs to his dorm and hid his new pacifier and diaper in his pillowcase with the other little secret. Two days later, he was still unable to think of anything else. He just wished the weekend would come so that his roommate would go home and he could have his…relaxation time again. All week he had trouble paying attention in class. He was constantly getting snapped at by his teachers to focus. In chemistry, he accidentally spilled acid on his notes, setting his studying back by a week. He had been trying to avoid Hunter and Thad since they wouldn't stop flapping their mouths about "those freaky pervs" but he knew it was only a matter of time before they hunted him down again.

When Saturday finally came around, Sebastian was more than disappointed when he woke up to find that his roommate was still there. Apparently his parents were away for the week and wouldn't be there to see him until the week after. To make matters worse, his roommate insisted on taking all of his meals in his room and left his dirty plates everywhere. It made Sebastian's stomach flop. He shakily pulled himself out of bed and shed his sweltering pajamas for a t-shirt and some pants that felt much, much too tight on his belly. For lack of better words, he felt like shit.

He shuffled tiredly to breakfast and picked at his food, unable to work up any kind of appetite. Instead he sat and wondered if he should have even gotten out of bed that morning. To make matters worse, the loud chatter of the dining hall was making his head pulse. It got worse when he spotted Hunter making his way over to him.

"Come on." As all he said. Not good morning, not hello, not why are you white as a ghost and sweating into your untouched cereal?

"Why? Where?" Sebastian muttered, swirling his spoon around in the milk.

"Thad and I stole a key to the building while we were inside getting keys to the shed." He grinned. "We're going to play some pranks."

Sebastian frowned in disbelief. "Really? This is like, the fourth time now. What's so great about that place anyway?"

"People totally respect us! They think we're completely badass!" Hunter stated.

"Well you two badasses go on ahead. I'm not feeling well." Sebastian replied.

"Oh stop whining." Hunter said. He grabbed Sebastian's arm and pulled him up.

"I said no!" Sebastian scowled. "I'm not going to let you pressure me into this again. I'm tired of your two always getting me in trouble. Besides, we've been there like three times in the past two weeks. Don't you think that's enough?"

"Stop being such a pussy, Seb." Hunter ordered harshly, completely ignoring his question. "Are you scared of the babies or something?" He sneered nastily. "Or are you just afraid they might actually convert you?"

"Just shut up. I don't get your obsession with them, but it's not cool anymore." Sebastian sighed tiredly. He just wanted to go back to bed.

"Fine, but don't expect me to be friends with a sissy like you."

"You're threatening me with our friendship?" Sebastian asked.

"Nothing personal. I've got a reputation to uphold and hanging out with a loser is not going to help." Hunter shrugged.

Sebastian glowered at him, He really couldn't stand Hunter at the moment, but without Hunter and Thad he had nobody to call friends, not even his roommate. A lifetime of sitting alone at lunch versus a couple hours with those two at the baby school? He sighed in defeat. "Fine. Let's just go and get it over with." He grumbled.

Hunter smirked and nodded. "That's better."

Sebastian felt nauseated as the school came into view. He really, really, _really_ just wanted to turn the truck around and go back to the school. His face felt so hot that it was nearly cold, but he brushed it off as anxiety. When they arrived, Hunter pushed him out of the truck first, following closely behind. The three of them kept their heads ducked as they ran around the side of the building to a non-descript door.

"Remember to watch out for those stupid PITs." Thad whispered. "I heard from one of the nurses that a bunch of'em volunteer during the weekends for extra credit."

Sebastian's stomach churned at the thought of running into Nick and nodded. This was a job of laying low and staying out of sight. He turned and watched Thad fiddle with the door until it opened, sounding like a piece of duct tape being ripped off of the wall. They scurried inside and it surprised Sebastian to find himself standing in the basement. Well it was on a hill.

"Catch." Hunter said, pulling a can of black spray paint out of his jacket and tossing it to Sebastian, who nearly dropped it.

"What are these for?" Sebastian asked.

"We're going to graffiti the halls." Hunter sneered. "That'll teach them to mess with us."

"Okay, you're insane." The other freshman frowned.

Hunter stiffened and looked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"What do you think is going to happen?" Sebastian asked. "We're obviously going to get caught. And then what, smart guy?"

"Shut up, we won't get caught unless you keep acting like a fucking pussy." Hunter snapped. "So just shut up."

Sebastian shook his head and handed the paint back. "Sorry, but I'm not doing it."

Thad frowned. "Fine. Stand guard while the real men work."

Rolling his eyes, Sebastian followed them up the steps and into the hallway. He stood at the end and peered around the corner. He wasn't sure if it was his nerves again, but his stomach churned violently and he had to take a few deep breaths. The air around him heated up tenfold and new beads of sweat began to shine on his forehead. He exhaled slowly, his mouth bone dry. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have come. His head pulsed again and when the room started to teeter a little, twisting and contorting before his eyes, he allowed his head to drop back against the wall. His eyelids drooped, darkening the whole room. He could have really used his pacifier about then. God he was tired. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to shut his eyes for a few moments…

"Sebastian?"

Sebastian didn't register the fact that somebody was actually speaking to him at first. His head lolled about on his shoulders tiredly and a small whimper escaped his lips.

"Sebastian!" The voice was a little louder, a little snippier this time. He opened his eyes a crack and peered blearily at the blurry figure before him. Once his eyes focused, he found himself face to face with that kid from the playground and the closets. What was his name? Nick. Shit.

"What are you doing here?" The boy asked suspiciously. When he saw how unfocused the younger boy's eyes were, he frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

Sebastian breathed shallowly and leaned forward. Clutching the wall, he slowly moved to peer around the wall as if he hadn't even heard Nick. He had to warn Hunter and Thad or something, right? He was pretty sure that was his job, though his thoughts felt so muddled he couldn't quite remember. Why were they even here? He peeked down the hall and to his surprise, Hunter and Thad had disappeared, but what really made his heart stop were the pale yellow walls that had been marred with messy black stripes, shining wetly under the fluorescent lights. His eyes widened. Double shit.

"Double shi-what are you talking about?" Nick frowned in confusion.

Sebastian turned to look at him. Had he said that out loud?"

"Say what out-oh my God!" Nick gasped in horror. "What…what happened?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His temple pulsed agonizingly. His mind flashed to the soggy cereal and his stomach churned horribly. He couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with Nick, but he didn't need to look at the boy to know that he was ready to explode.

"Sebastian?" Nick shook him and that was all it took to send him over the edge. Without a warning, he keeled over and emptied his meager breakfast all over the floor. Alarmed and a tad disgusted at the sudden display of sickness, Nick quickly backed away, a look of immense worry replacing his furious expression. Sebastian coughed and gasped. As he heaved, the force sent his frail body tumbling down and he hit the puddle of waste on his hands and knees, making Nick recoil and grimace. The brunet quickly stepped around to the adjacent hall and cupped his hands around his mouth. "We need a nurse down here!" He yelled.

Sebastian listened as several pairs of footsteps arrived only minutes later and gasped. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the voices around him began to chatter urgently while he wallowed pitifully in his own filth. He was sick and he was confused. He didn't know where he was and his friends were gone and he was probably in trouble but he felt _so sick_ and he was kneeling in his own vomit and fuck he was miserable. He wished he'd never left his bed. He wished he was dead.

"Sebastian?" That was Nick again. Had he come back? Sebastian lifted his head, which felt like it was filled with lead and stared into worried brown eyes. He could feel the vomit starting to dray and crust on his chin and he shuddered. Green eyes met brown and whatever Nick saw must have been pretty pathetic because he just let out a soft sigh. "Oh...baby…"

And that, that fucking four-letter word sent him over the edge. As though a switch had been flipped, all of the moisture in his body seemed to gravitate towards his eyes and he quickly bowed his head to blink away tears.

"Can you walk?" Nick asked. "Not far, just down the hall to the infirmary."

Nick's voice sounded miles away. Sebastian's body vibrated, trembling weakly but he didn't want to look even more pathetic, especially in front of other people. He nodded compliantly. Anywhere was better than this God awful hallway where everyone could see him sitting in his own puke. Shivering violently, Sebastian slowly rose from the puddle of slop, trying his best not to touch anything with his filthy hands. He shuffled down the hall like a zombie with Nick right beside him, prepared to grab onto him in case he fell. After being escorted down a hall that seemed to stretch on for ages, Nick opened a door and ushered him inside.

The room was very large and was painted sky blue with fluffy white clouds spray painted everywhere. The lighting was rather soft and dim, but to Sebastian, he felt as though he was staring directly into the sun. Before he could get a real look, however, another nurse was guiding him into a smaller room, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders.

This room was a pale green with whimsical choo-choo trains bordering the ceiling. It contained a bathtub, a large sink, and (shudder) an enormous changing table the size of an examination bench.

"Do you need to throw up anymore, sweetie?" The nurse asked. She was surprisingly young, maybe nineteen or twenty. It made Sebastian wonder what she was doing in a place like this. Not that he was complaining, she was the first nurse in this whole place to treat him like a person and not a juvenile delinquent.

Sebastian shook his head and wavered a little in his dizzy state. The nurse noticed and frowned in concern. "Okay, well why don't we get you seated and into some clean clothes?" Before Sebastian could even comprehend what she had said, he was being hoisted up onto the changing table with surprising strength. He looked up in alarm. Was she going to put him in a diaper? His breathing quickened as he watched her snap on some latex gloves and select a package of baby wipes from a shelf.

When she came over and started reaching for the button of his pants, he jerked away. "No!" He said, his fear pulling him back down to Earth. "I don't want that!"

"Want what?" She frowned. "You need to get cleaned up, honey. You'll feel much better."

"I'm not a baby, I don't need it." Sebastian told her frantically. "I'm completely toilet-trained."

The nurse looked at him in surprise and chuckled. "I'm aware of that, dear. But you still need to get out of those clothes. You're covered in vomit."

Sebastian stared back at her, feeling like the world's biggest idiot. Of course she needed to change his clothes! Duh! But even with this revelation, he still wasn't sure how he felt about stripping in front of a strange young woman. Unfortunately, she gave him no time to decide because the girl was immediately popping open the button on his pants and tugging them down his thin legs, careful not to touch anything. She held them at arm's length and gingerly folded them, setting them in the sink. The nurse removed his shirt and that too went in. His shoes sat at the base of the table, having managed to avoid the bile.

Sebastian sat still, his skin burning brightly as he shifted vulnerably in his boxer briefs. It only got worse when she began to wipe his hands, arms, and face with baby wipes, erasing all evidence of his sickness. Finally, she left the room, not bothering to shut the door. He made eye contact with Nick, who was seated near one of the desks and quickly averted his gaze. His arms slowly snaked around his slender torso to hide as much as he could. He was left to shiver and squirm on the table until she returned with a neatly folded pile of pajamas. They weren't too babyish: light blue with thin white stripes, but the little bird-shaped buttons he could definitely do without.

"Put these on. Your school has been contacted and we've agreed that it'll be easier for you to just stay here and rest until you're feeling better."

Sebastian's stomach sank. Here? In baby hell? How long? What would they do to him? They could drug his food and lock him in big puffy diapers! And what would others think? What if Hunter and Thad found out? Would they tell everyone? Would people start thinking he was a baby?

"Sebastian?"

He turned, suddenly aware that the nurse was still talking to him. "Yeah?"

"I asked if you needed any help putting on the pajamas." She smiled sweetly.

"Oh, um, no thank you." He mumbled. Once she had excused herself and left, Sebastian slipped down from the table and picked up the pajamas. They were fairly simple: button up top and drawstring bottoms. He noted that they were a small, but hung loosely off of his shoulders and around his thighs.

With the previous adrenaline draining from his body, Sebastian shuffled out in his sock-clad feet, fighting down the little waves of nausea that slithered up his throat. He wasn't quite sure where to go and stopped to look around aimlessly, his shoulders hunched with fatigue.

"Okay, Sebastian. Why don't you lie down for a bit?" The nurse suggested. "I bet you'd love to just get under the covers and sleep this all off."

Sebastian glanced over, a little embarrassed and disgusted when he saw the infirmary beds. Not only were they bordered by white, wooden, crib-like guard rails, but each was outfitted with a pile of babyish blankets and pillows. He reluctantly moved towards them and reached a hand out to feel the blankets. They were soft, he thought begrudgingly. Well, as long as nobody saw him… With a quick glance around the room, Sebastian clambered onto the bed and reclined back into what he believed were the softest pillows he'd ever had the privilege of resting his head on. He hardly remembered the nurse pulling the blankets up to his chest. His eyes were already shut.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fall 2006, Year 3**

Nick raced down the hall passing classroom after classroom, turning corners and slowing down for nurses until he finally found himself standing in front of the selection room. He fished his keys out of his pocket and fiddled with the doorknob urgently until it turned for him. Flipping on the light, the boy's eyes darted around quickly in an attempt to locate the discarded animal until he spotted a patch of green and pulled it out of the plushy heap. He was going to prove to everyone that Sebastian was a Little but even more so he was going to prove it to Sebastian himself. If there was one thing his four years of training as a parent had taught him, it was that a real Little would not be able to relax until they had their favorite toy.

Not bothering to lock the door, Nick sprinted straight towards the infirmary. When he got there, the nurse signaled for him to be quiet and pointed at the crib where Sebastian squirmed and rolled restlessly, unable to find his much needed sleep. His rugged, dominant façade had completely vanished and all Nick could see now was very sick, very frustrated, very miserable little boy.

Sebastian felt completely wretched. He was clean, but he was still sensed the bile at the back of his throat and although his eyes felt too heavy to keep open, the nausea poked at his thoughts, making him unable to sleep. God, he just wanted to sleep. To escape this technicolor hell he was in, so that just for a little while he could forget that he was currently in the pedo school with some kind of stomach bug and that he'd thrown up in front of Nick and that Hunter and Thad had destroyed the hallways and left him there to take the heat. His stomach lurched again and he curled up, resisting the urge to just cry.

Nick carefully walked over and placed a hand on his forehead, hoping the coolness of it felt good on his flaming skin. Sebastian looked up at him, trying to hold back distressed tears. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't. Doms didn't cry. God! Why did he have to be such a big baby when he got sick?

"Shhhh." Nick smiled reassuringly and petted his hair, damp from sweat. "I brought you something." He gingerly placed the frog in Sebastian's arms and watched patiently.

Sebastian didn't react at first. Instead, he stayed completely still. That was okay, Nick could wait. He took a seat and pulled out his academics to work on while Sebastian lied there quietly. Every now and then he would glance up to see if anything had changed, but nothing ever did. Was he wrong after all? No, Sebastian would accept the frog sooner or later. He just had to be patient.

Right around lunchtime, Sebastian finally dozed off. Nick glanced up from his homework and smiled at the sight, peering happily in Sebastian's soft little angel face. He was all snuggled up in the warm blankets, Froggy wrapped tightly in his arms. He glanced at the clock, then at Sebastian. Maybe he could get some lunch with Jeff and Blaine and be back before Sebastian woke up again. He could even bring him something. Soup, maybe?

Nick rose from his chair and nodded to the nurse before leaving the room and heading towards the dining hall. He quickly spotted them, being the only two not dressed in white or sitting in a highchair and hurried over. On the way over, a few babies cooed happily to him and he waved back. Once he'd reached the two, he walked to the kitchen with them.

"How's that kid? The one who nearly barfed on your shoes?" Blaine asked him as they accepted some deli sandwiches from the kitchen ladies and grabbed fruit from the produce boxes on the way out.

" _Sebastian_ is doing just fine." Nick replied. He spotted a clear table that the nurses usually had lunch at and took a seat. Blaine and Jeff copied him.

"Can you believe what he did?" Jeff scowled. "He took it way too far."

"Definitely. He should pay for the damages." Blaine agreed wholeheartedly.

"C'mon, guys. Do you really think he had the energy or motivation to do any of that? He didn't even have any paint on him." Nick defended.

"He probably stashed it before we came. And even if he wasn't here to mess with us, then why _was_ he here?" Jeff questioned. "Hm?"

Nick opened his mouth, then closed it.

"See? Face it, Nick. He's just an asshole master. He and his sadist friends are nothing but criminals." Jeff stated and Blaine nodded in agreement.

The brunette frowned. "I think Sebastian is different. He's not like his friends."

"You're seeing stuff that isn't really there. Just stop worrying about him." Blaine advised.

Nick sighed and didn't say anything more on the matter. Once he'd eaten, he stopped by the kitchen for a bowl of soup and a bottle of water before making his way back to the infirmary.

Sebastian was just waking up as Nick entered the room. He yawned and rolled over to stretch; turning his head to look around while remaining snuggled up in the warm blankets. Nick glanced up and smiled.

"Hey, Sebastian. Are you feeling better?" He set the food down and moved over to his bed, placing his hand on the younger boy's burning forehead. "Guess not." He frowned.

"Where are Hunter and Thad?" Sebastian murmured breathlessly.

"What?" Nick frowned, but the other boy said nothing more on the topic. "Anyway, you want something to eat?" When he shook his head, Nick frowned disapprovingly. "You've got to eat something." Sebastian's lack of reply didn't faze him one bit and he picked up the bowl of soup, bringing the spoon to the MIT's lips. "Open up." He instructed, ignoring Sebastian's unamused expression.

"Absolutely not."

"Come on." He goaded. "You're tired and probably feeling super lazy right now. It'll be over before you know it."

"I'm not a baby." Sebastian stated simply.

"Good for you, now open up." Nick repeated. This time he didn't take no for an answer, popping the spoon in the second Sebastian opened his mouth to protest.

Sebastian coughed and sputtered into surprise. He glared at Nick. "What the hell?"

"Language." Nick scolded. "And this will go a lot smoother if you just relax and let me do all the work."

"If anybody saw me getting spoonfed, my reputation would be completely destroyed!"

"Do you see anybody here but me and a few nurses? Who are we going to tell?" Nick asked.

Sebastian considered this. He supposed being spoonfed wasn't too bad, and it wasn't like anybody he knew would see him. Sighing heavily for emphasis, he sat back and opened his mouth.

Nick practically beamed in satisfaction. "Good boy." He commented, earning a dirty look from Sebastian. He made himself a little more comfortable and patiently lifted each spoonful to Sebastian's mouth, holding the bowl underneath in case of spills. Sebastian obviously hadn't been fed anything in years, and awkwardly did his best to keep it from dripping down his chin like a drooling infant, but it did him no good. Nick kept his laughter to himself, not wanting to embarrass Sebastian any more than he already was and simply wiped his face clean with a towel. He was only halfway through when Sebastian lied down and turned away from him.

"Finish up, Sebastian." Nick said. When he didn't get a reply, he frowned. "Sebastian?"

The freshman sat up very suddenly, his face flushed a very pale green. "No more." He whimpered, his voice cracking.

Nick couldn't help comparing it to a sad little toddler, but he knew there were bigger problems to worry about at the moment. He seized a waste bin and thrust it under Sebastian's chin, removing the actual garbage bag from it.

It was absolutely pathetic, watching him rock back and forth, breathing shallowly as a layer of sweat shone on his forehead and chest. It made Nick's heart wrench. Sebastian hiccupped, then made a small, indistinguishable noise that had him emptying the contents of his stomach. He choked and retched as a mixture or orange, brown, and yellow fluids spewed from his mouth. A hand began to rub circles on his back as he gasped for air, his lungs working overtime to deal with all of the panicking he was doing. He spit out the last of the bile that mixed with his saliva and hiccupped again, this time from a miserable sob that was bubbling up inside of him.

"Shhhh." Nick murmured, stroking his hair. "You're alright, sweetheart. You're okay." He glanced at the bucket and gripped the edge gingerly. "All done? Yeah?" He asked, moving it away once Sebastian had nodded. He cleaned Sebastian's face with the towel and grabbed the bottle of water, slipping the rubber nibble into the boy's mouth. Sebastian immediately resisted, but Nick wasn't going to give up that easily. "Come on, baby. You need to drink something. Just to get the taste out of your mouth." He held the bottle out to Sebastian, who accepted it but yanked off the rubber cap in order to take a swig of water. Then he wiped his mouth and lied down again.

Feeling like he should be doing more to help, Nick turned to the nurse sitting at her desk. "Is there any medication we can give him?"

The nurse nodded and rose from her chair. Nick watched impatiently as she rummaged through the medicine cabinet, tapping his foot against his ankle.

"I found some Pepto-Bismol." She offered.

"Perfect." Nick nodded. He turned to check on Sebastian, only to find him in a dead sleep. "Ummm…would you happen to have any medicine binkies?" He inquired, not wanting to ruin the boy's much needed sleep.

"Sure thing." The nurse complied. It took a few minutes to measure and pour the medicine into the pacifier, but once Sebastian was suckling away at the pink-stained nipple, Nick allowed himself to relax. He sat back and observed the boy who slumbered peacefully with his arms wound loosely around the soft froggy. Suddenly he remembered what Mr. Hamilton had told him about evidence and hurriedly fumbled for his phone. Making sure nobody was watching, he discreetly snapped a photo and prepared to send it. His thumb was hovering over the button when he hesitated. As much as he wanted Sebastian to face the truth, he couldn't help remembering what Mr. Hamilton had said to him. Outing Sebastian against his will seemed a lot like bullying and his stomach twinged at the possible consequences. He sighed, canceling the message and stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

Sebastian woke up feeling warm and peaceful. The constant churning in his stomach had ceased and even if his fever persisted, he was far more comfortable than he had been before. He felt a hand brush gently over his hair and sleepily leaned into the touch.

"Hey." Nick grinned. "Feeling any better?" He had very reluctantly removed the pacifier from Sebastian's lips once all of the medicine had been taken, unsure of how he would have reacted to it.

Sebastian nodded and yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What time issit?"

"It's going on six." Nick answered.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you didn't sit there the entire time and watch me sleep." When Nick didn't reply, he made a face of disbelief. "Dude!"

"What's wrong with caring about someone?" Nick questioned. "Or does that school of yours not teach empathy?"

"Why do you always have to be so snobby?" Sebastian frowned defensively. "You complain that everyone calls you perverts and pedos but then you turn around and act as if we're all heartless, sadistic monsters."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you have classes dedicated to physical harm and your school supplies consist of whips and chains." Nick retorted.

"Yeah, because learning how to wipe somebody's shit-caked ass is much classier." Sebastian sneered.

"Your parents did it for you when you were little." Nick replied. "And how do you even know what you like until you've actually tried it?"

"Because I'm not a pedo." Sebastian hissed.

"Very creative." Nick rolled his eyes. "You know what I think, Sebastian? I think you're too afraid to try things out of fear of what your friends might think."

"I'm no panty shitter." Sebastian barked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Now get away from me."

"Fine." Nick shrugged. He slowly stood and grabbed the frog from Sebastian's bed, daring him to protest before walking away.

"Where the actual fuck have you been?" Hunter snapped. "We thought those pedos finally got you!"

"What happened was that you assholes abandoned me! I had the flu and was forced to stay in their infirmary for the weekend!" Sebastian snarled, giving the boy a rough shove.

"Well it looks like you're all right now." He grinned. They got in the breakfast line and as Sebastian accepted his empty tray, he resisted the urge to smack Hunter across the face with it.

"Just forget it." He scowled. "I'm so done with that shithole."

"Well lacrosse starts soon anyway." Hunter reminded him.

"Yep, so I guess I'll be busy." Sebastian replied passively. He took a seat and picked at his toast. He still didn't have much of an appetite.

"So uh, what did they do to you?" Hunter inquired.

"Nothing." Sebastian sighed. He should have known that Hunter would keep prying. The kid didn't know when to stop.

"Nothing? Come on, man. I'm your best friend. You can tell me." Hunter chided.

Sebastian nearly snorted at the sound of that. "I'm serious. They gave me some medication and I slept."

"No forced diaperings? No bottles laced with laxatives or pacifiers strapped to your face?" Hunter asked.

"No, Hunter." Sebastian snapped. "It's a school, not a Lifetime movie."

"Geez, no need to be so moody." Hunter huffed sullenly.

"I'm just tired of always talking about that goddamn pedo school. Who cares? They're just a punch of super-sized freaks."

Hunter didn't reply to that, much to Sebastian's relief. He kept up the attitude all morning, then all afternoon, then all week.

"We were worried about you for a while, man." Thad grinned, giving him a pat on the back. "After that first trip to the school, we thought you were going baby on us."

Sebastian shoved his mouth guard into his mouth so that he wouldn't have to reply and grunted, taking off down the field.

It was chilly. October had come along with the lacrosse season, which proved to be a wonderful outlet for his frustrations with Hunter and even better for keeping his mind off of Nick and the school. Lacrosse had also taken up any time for hanging out with friends, giving him a legitimate excuse as to why he couldn't go pick on babies. It helped that Thad was on the team too, which meant lack of transportation even if he wanted to go. However, once lacrosse ended, Sebastian knew he needed to find a new excuse. This came in the form of show choir.

Sebastian was a fairly good singer and he only got better with practice. Hunter had decided at first that singing was for girls, but after he found out that glee club meetings allowed him to leave thirty minutes early from his last class, he and Thad quickly signed up. Sebastian refused to let their presence dampen his mood and by the beginning of November, he was captain. He hadn't thought about the pacifier in his pillow in nearly a month.

Then things went sour.

Hunter apparently did not like the idea of being bossed around by him because within the week, he was being challenged for his position. Three in-meeting arguments and a song battle later, Sebastian was lying in his room with his face buried in his pillow wishing he had never even joined the Warblers.

His roommate was gone for the weekend, having left early so Sebastian spent the rest of the evening hiding away in his room. It wasn't until eight however, that Sebastian finally built up the courage to double lock his door and pull his "de-stressor" out of his pillow. Then, after a second thought he pulled the diaper out too. He was all alone and an hour to curfew. Nobody would come looking for him, not when they were busy celebrating Hunter's victory. He could just wear it and then put it back. Nobody would know, what was the harm? He dropped his pants and squeezed the soft object in his hand. Squeezing it between his thumb and fingers, Sebastian slowly unfolded it and tried to differentiate the front from the back. From what he'd seen on T.V. it looked like the tapes went from back to front. That seemed easy enough.

He pushed his blankets back to make room and spread it out in the very middle. Then he tugged off his boxers and awkwardly clambered onto the bed. The boy positioned himself so that he was hovering over the diaper and very gingerly lowered himself down. It crinkled beneath him and his weight caused it to curl up as the bed dipped. He lied down and spread his legs, lifting his ass a couple of times to get it in the perfect place. After a little more adjusting, he tugged the front up between his legs and fumbled to make the tapes secured tightly around his waist. The sides weren't exactly equal, but it was his first (and probably last) time wearing a diaper so he didn't take it too hard.

Sebastian stiffly rolled off of the bed and clambered to his feet, afraid of ripping the diaper in any way. He gave a few experimental steps and once he was certain that the garment was pretty durable, he selected some pajamas from his dresser and tugged them up over his legs. Then he hurried to the bathroom to make sure his pants covered his diaper entirely and pulled his shirt back down. There. That felt…he didn't really know, but every time he rubbed his thighs together, the diaper crinkled like tissue paper and the tight softness swaddling around his groin made his stomach tingle. He hurriedly got under his covers again and located his green and purple pacifier, slipping it into his mouth. Once he was situated, Sebastian grabbed the remote and switched through the channels until he located Sesame Street on one of the local stations. Elmo immediately appeared on the screen and he felt a strange sense of longing for his own froggy. Though he hated to admit it, that plushy was more of a friend to him than Hunter was. Was that bad?

He let out a sigh and burrowed deeper under the covers. Maybe he could try to find to own froggy once he went home for the holidays. The local mall was bound to have one or two lying around. That of course caused his thoughts to wander to his parents. What would they say if they could see him right now? Would they scream? Would his mother cry in anguish and banish him from their sights? Probably. Who wants a pedophilic freak for a son?

Sebastian quickly chased the thought from his mind. His parents would never find out. Nobody would. He was doomed to a life of secrets. He'd grow up, graduate, and select a nice slave boy that would impress his parents and earn approving nods from his traditionalist grandparents. He'd get a high-paying job, maybe a lawyer or a business executive, and once a month he'd lend the boy to a friend and spend a day taking care of his "stress" in secret. Most of all, he'd be best friends with Hunter.

Forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Winter 2006, Year 3**

When Christmas did arrive, Sebastian wasn't sure what to do with the secrets in his pillow. On one hand, he'd be gone a whole week, leaving the object completely unguarded. On the other, if he brought his secrets home, his parents or somebody else might discover them. Either way, his reputation was at a possible risk.

So he did the only thing he could.

Once his roommate had left, he sat by the toilet and snipped the diaper into teeny tiny pieces with a pair of scissors before gradually flushing them away. It was an overkill, but he refused to take any chances. He was kind of disappointed since he had only gotten to wear it once, but he had to make sacrifices to maintain his lifestyle. The cheap candy pacifier was disposed of in the dumpster in the back lot of the school under a pile of trash, ten minutes or so before the garbage truck was scheduled to come. They stopped at the baby school first, so there would be no suspicion should somebody see it in the truck. The last, nicer pacifier was stuck in one of his inner coat pockets so that he would have it on him at all times. He was prepared for anything.

His mother arrived early on Sunday to take him home. Sebastian was bundled up tightly in a scarf, winter coat, and gloves to protect himself against the freezing, snowy weather while he stood outside the entrance of the school. When his mother's Porsche came driving up to him, he hurried over and tossed his suitcase in the backseat before climbing into the front.

"Oh sweetheart! You must be freezing! Let me turn the heat up!" Was the first thing she said to him. Not even hello, not that Sebastian minded the blast of hot air that was suddenly aimed in his direction.

"Hey Mom." Sebastian replied, buckling his seat belt as she took off out of the parking lot and down the road.

"Your father can't wait to see you!" He's home right now guarding the cookies from your uncles, the pigs." She chuckled.

Sebastian nodded, looking out the window distractedly.

"And your cousins are eager to see you too!"

Sebastian made a face at the sound of that. His three cousins were obnoxious and crude and never stopped talking about boobs or imaginary girls they claimed to have banged. They too, were masters in training, only a year apart from each other. The youngest was older than Sebastian by only three months, the next was fifteen, and the oldest was sixteen.

"Will Aunt Jennifer be there?" Sebastian asked offhandedly.

His mother paused and looked at him in surprise. "What? Of course not! You know that." She replied quickly.

"We should invite her." Sebastian shrugged.

Aunt Jennifer had been his favorite relative growing up. She always brought him toys and never told him he couldn't do something simply because it was "below him" like the rest of his family always did. Like the time he and a neighborhood friend had been playing "dog show" in the backyard. He had been a Doberman: scary and fierce, but when his father had caught sight of him trailing behind another boy on his hands and knees, he had sent his friend home and lectured his son severely. That night, Jennifer, who had been visiting with his mother, had leaned down next to him and whispered into his ear: "I thought you were a really scary dog."

After his ninth birthday, Jennifer stopped visiting. When he asked why, his mother had simply stated that Aunt Jenny no longer wished to be a part of the family.

"Anyway," his mother continued tightly, drawing him from his memories, "your father misses you. We're both so proud of you. Top of the class." She beamed, Aunt Jennifer forgotten. "We always knew you'd become a gifted master." She sighed happily. The car turned onto their street and Sebastian felt his stomach flip. "Just wait until everyone sees how much you've grown."

Sebastian slumped in his seat. He suddenly felt very tired. He wasn't in the mood to greet his aunts with a kiss on their flabby wrinkled cheeks or swap stupid jokes with his uncles. He definitely didn't want to wrestle with his cousins while sexual innuendos spewed from their otherwise thoughtless minds.

But he was the golden boy, so he got out of the car and grabbed his suitcase, walking past car after car, up the front stoop and through the door into the large house. He immediately heard voices echoing from the living room. It all sounded like a bunch of rumbling to him, followed by short bouts of laughter. Sebastian silently slipped inside and crept up the stairs with his luggage, once more cursing his mother and father for always insisting on hosting the annual family reunion.

"Why don't you go put on something nice?" His mother called up the stairs. "Not those old jeans."

Sebastian wanted to argue that his jeans were brand new and that his outfit was perfectly fine to greet family in, but he knew what his mother really wanted. Sighing heavily, he trudged up to his room.

It was still just as neat as he'd left it. The gray walls were hardly welcoming, and he half-heartedly dropped his bags by the door. He knew that his father would not appreciate him stalling so he sat on the bed and lazily kicked off his winter boots, which were much softer and roomier than his regular school boots. For the hundredth time in his life he wondered why master couture always had to be _so_ uncomfortable. Slaves were supposed to get the pain, after all, not him. Next he unzipped his jeans and tugged them off, followed by his coat and then his t-shirt. His gloves, which had been removed after he'd dropped his luggage, lied on the floor of his bedroom beside his boots.

He shivered a little and hurried over to his closet, only to find that his mother had already selected and outfit for him and laid it on his dresser. He huffed in annoyance. For an ex-slave, she sure was controlling.

With a roll of his eyes, Sebastian picked up the sleeveless black top and slipped it over his head, tugging it down over his stomach, struggling only a little with the leather straps that criss-crossed the chest. Naturally, she had chosen a shirt that displayed what little toning he had in his biceps as if she thought anybody would really be impressed. Then he grabbed the tight leather pants and yanked them up, which was a feat on its own but he managed, practically gasping at the tight squeeze, even for his thin, lanky body. His knee high lace-ups with the studs on the sides sat at the base of his dresser and he yanked those on as well, tying them neatly and tightly. A silver chain belt, a studded collar, and some spiked cuffs were the last additions to his ensemble. He stopped in the bathroom to gel his hair up into spikes before determining that he was ready to go. So, he took one final breath and clomped back downstairs, praying he wouldn't fall down and kill himself in the tall platforms.

A sea of leather and business casual suits awaited him. He broke it down:

His cousins on his father's side, Adam, Michael, and Oliver sat close together on the loveseat. They were staring intently at a sport's magazine. Sebastian didn't need x-ray vision to know there was a porno underneath.

His cousin on his mother's side, Jasmine, who was training to be a dominatrix and at seventeen believed she could boss everyone else around simply because she was graduating this year, sat next to her mother, whispering into her ear with a haughty expression.

His Uncle Chester and Aunt Lily, daft people who were completely oblivious to all of the shit their kids got up to, shared a glass of wine, controlled by Chester.

Uncle Teddy, a fat man whose face was constantly red, like Santa Claus, gripped a glass of brandy in his meaty hand and was laughing loudly at something his Uncle Richard had just said.

Uncle Richard, youngest of his father's brothers, sat in in a recliner by the Christmas tree with his slave, a girl called "Jessica" who sat obedient and quiet at his feet. Her breasts looked ready to pop out of her top, much to the pleasure of the three younger boys in the room.

His grandparents sat stoic and eerily silent in two parlor chairs by the fire place.

Finally, Aunt Gabriella, whose pet seemed to be in the process of removing her shoes and kissing her feet as he did so, turned and smiled as her daughter chatted beside her.

Sebastian sighed. Another boring family gathering.

"Sebastian!" Teddy roared, heaving his humongous body up from an armchair and charging over for a hug. The pit stains on his shirt were prominent and the boy held back a grimace as he nearly suffocated in his embrace.

"Nice to see you, Sebastian." Aunt Lily beamed. "Your mother was right, you've gotten so big!"

Sebastian forced out a small chuckle and nodded. His cousins glanced up from their magazine just long enough to roll their eyes at the way everyone gushed over the prized son. Then they promptly returned to their Playboy. The freshman nodded and smiled and hugged and shook hands and did everything else his mother always asked of him around relatives until his head was suddenly being smashed against somebody's breasts.

"Sebastian!" Jasmine squealed, squeezing him tightly. "I've missed you so much!"

"You too, Jazz." Sebastian sighed, prying himself from her crushing hold. He excused himself and escaped to the kitchen before she could start any sort of conversation only to find his father sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. "Sir." He stated respectfully and his father nodded in response.

"How's school been?" The man asked, gesturing for Sebastian to take a seat.

"I'm doing very well." Sebastian replied. "All top scores." He knew by now that his father didn't care what he thought of school as long as his grades were thriving. The last time he'd told his father anything about his life outside of class, he asked his son what kind of canes they used in lacrosse and if he was receiving extra credit.

"Good." Mr. Smythe nodded. Even when relaxed, the man had a very commanding, very stern voice that demanded attention from everyone, dom or sub. It was one of the reasons Sebastian could never truly ease in his presence.

The two sat in silence until his mother came in and shooed him back into the living room to socialize. "Get out there and talk!" She scolded. "I can't be hostess all by myself!"

Sebastian reluctantly migrated back to the living room and his mother nudged him in the direction of his cousins. He turned and gave his mom an unhappy grimace, but she countered with a look that said "socialize or else." He didn't want to know what "or else" could mean.

"Hey Sebby!" Adam called happily. The other two looked up, their lips curling into grins. They knew how much he hated nicknames of any kind.

"Sebastian." The brunet corrected stiffly. He forced himself to walk over to them and was greeted not with a hug, or even a friendly clap on the back, but with a picture of a busty blonde being shoved in his face.

"Look at the tits on that one!" Michael hissed so that his parents wouldn't hear. Not because it was inappropriate, but because there was a strict rule against porno mags during family time. They could have waited until after breakfast, but Sebastian was sure they would start having withdrawals.

"Ugh!" Sebastian scowled in distaste. The last thing he wanted to see was some disgusting, wrinkled, bat cavern of a sex organ slicked up with God knows what. It made him want to gag.

"Oh, right. We forgot that Bassy only likes cock." Oliver teased. "We don't have any of those magazines but feel free to grab a hot dog out of the fridge." Of course _that_ sent the other boys into a fit of hysterics. Sebastian rolled his eyes in annoyance. How immature could they get?

"Oh, shut up. It's two thousand and six." Jasmine cut in, copying Sebastian's previous gesture of irritation.

"Nobody asked you." Michael scowled. "Mind your own business, Jazz."

"You better not let Uncle Stephen and Aunt Allison hear you say stuff like that. Sebastian's the golden boy, remember? Not you." She smirked.

The boys stared at her hatefully. "Hard to forget with everyone constantly blabbering about it. Sebastian this, Sebastian that. I'm surprised they don't get on their knees and take turns licking his feet when he enters a room." Oliver grunted.

"Hear that, Sebastian?" Jazz purred. "That's the sound of jealousy."

"Go suck a cock." Adam muttered.

"Don't speak to her that way." Sebastian snapped. It always went like this. His three, stupid cousins versus the two shining stars of the family.

"Don't tell us what to do, baby Bassy." Oliver glowered at him.

At the sound of that, Sebastian's thoughts immediately flashed to Nick and his face reddened, contorting into anger. "Maybe if you stopped staring at cunts all day and actually looked around once in awhile, you'd see that making commands is my purpose! And I'm doing a _much_ better job than you three."

"You're a freshman, big shot." Oliver rolled his eyes. "Not the fucking headmaster of the whole damn school."

"I doubt you've ever even held a cane before." Michael added.

"Jealous." Jasmine repeated. "Try actually focusing on school instead of whacking off in the bathroom all day and you might get some recognition too."

Before the boys could think of a good retort, his mother entered, stating that breakfast was ready. She bustled everyone into the dining room, not that it was needed and shooed the teens towards their seats at the end of the table. Candles were lit all around and shimmery tinsel hung from the ceiling. The table itself had one of his mother's fine red table clothes covering it with not a single wrinkle or crease to be found. It was completely covered with expensive china and no square inch was left bare by some sort of plate, bowl, or dish.

Sebastian felt a small surge of pride for his mother. She had really gone all out. Scrambled eggs filled an entire casserole bowl and sausage links were stacked in a perfect pyramid on a porcelain platter, still steaming lightly. A fruit basket provided a nice centerpiece and was surrounded by cinnamon rolls, glazed with white frosting, small donuts, and a tall stack of pancakes. The scent of bacon hit his nose and he began to salivate, his stomach growling as he took his seat at the table. Jasmine took the seat next to him and the spot to his right was seized by his Uncle Richard.

"Everybody help yourselves." His mother smiled, and once everyone's cups had been filled with juice or coffee, she took her seat at the end of the table beside her husband. The two slaves sat on the floor, waiting to be fed from their master's hand.

As tradition, the eldest were served first. Once his grandparents had gotten their food, his aunts, uncles, and parents were next. Finally, Sebastian was passed the eggs, the bacon, the toast, along with his cousins and he gratefully dug in. As much as he hated family reunions, remaining grouchy while eating his mother's cooking was nearly impossible. Especially after months of school slop.

He didn't eat much; he wasn't a pig like Hunter or his cousins, but he savored everything. He bit into a slice of bacon and practically moaned at the savory taste that filled his mouth. It was hot and crispy but still chewy enough around the fatty parts. His mom made the best bacon.

"Sebastian!" Jasmine hissed, kicking his leg underneath the table and making him wince.

"Ow, what?" He whispered, not too happy that his breakfast was being interrupted.

"My mom told me to take the three stooges to the mall for a little while after breakfast. Get'em out of the house or something. You wanna come?"

Sebastian frowned. If he did, that meant spending a good portion of his day with his annoying cousins. If he didn't, he would be forced to stay here and make small talk with relatives. "Yeah, I'll go."

After breakfast was over and all of his relatives had finished gushing over what a nice meal his mother had made, Jasmine grabbed Sebastian by the arm and dragged him upstairs to get ready.

"I'm already dressed." Sebastian reminded her as if she couldn't see that for herself.

"Yeah, but the mall is a hotspot for cute subs during the holidays, you know that. We've got to make you look fierce." Jasmine smirked as she sat him down on his bed.

"Why? What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing, but there's always room for improvement. You've got to stand out if you want to be noticed."

Sebastian made a face as she pulled out her black eyeliner pencil and began to darken his eyes. "But I'm not even looking yet."

"You will soon, so why not start now? Doesn't hurt to prepare." She smiled down at him condescendingly, as if he had just asked her what the moon was. "Look, it won't be anything too serious. Just a little bit of flirting. You know…somebody to kiss under the mistletoe...or bite." Jasmine said slyly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes but otherwise did not argue with her on the subject. Once more he found his thoughts drifting to Nick but he sharply pushed them away, internally scolding himself.

The girl exchanged his studded collar for a spiked one and stuck yet another black spike into his ear. He'd gotten it as a baby, sort of as a rite of passage, but he didn't like it and his mother would always nag him to wear it so the hole wouldn't close. Finally, she selected his black leather riding gloves and had him put them on.

"There. Now you look ready to go." Jasmine smiled in satisfaction. She grabbed her coat. Her own outfit for the day consisted of a tight leather mini dress and fishnet tights, her heeled boots click-clacking every time she walked around the bedroom. Her makeup was sharp and her hair was tied up in a perfect bun, leaving only her dark side bangs to frame her pale face. A necklace of bronze spikes hung around her neck, matching the ring on her hand. A chain belt hung loosely around her hips. Sebastian couldn't figure out how she wasn't freezing.

"Alright, let's go before those brats start whining." Jasmine stated. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the room. He let her until they reached the living area and tugged out of her hold.

"Finally!" Oliver sighed dramatically. "What, were you writing a novel up there?"

"They were probably having sex." Adam muttered.

"Don't be disgusting." Sebastian grimaced.

"Excuse me, but _some_ of us like to look presentable when leaving the house." Jasmine stated in a haughty voice. "And stop complaining. I'm being kind and taking you to the mall but if you're rude, you can stay here. The boys grumbled under their breath as they filed past her towards the door, leaving Jasmine to smirk smugly at Sebastian.


	6. Chapter 6

**Winter 2006, Year 3**

As expected, the mall was incredibly crowded. Everyone was bustling about for last-minute Christmas gifts and big end of the year sales. It was aggravatingly loud and Sebastian found himself constantly bumping into somebody or nearly tripping over children that were running underfoot. Almost everywhere he looked there were couples: Doms in black pulling slaves by their leashes, Littles holding on tightly to their mommies and daddies with eyes widened at the chaos around them, and even some Femdoms with their sissies trailing behind them in short, frilly little dresses and Mary Janes.

As soon as the five teens stepped foot in the main lobby of the mall, Adam, Michael, and Oliver took off towards the arcade. That left Jasmine and Sebastian to shop on their own, not that they were complaining. A small part of Sebastian wished they would get abducted and not come back, but just a small part.

"Oh! Look at those!" Jasmine exclaimed. She grabbed Sebastian's wrist and yanked him over to a window display to marvel at a set of leather cuffs. "My friend has a pair just like those! Cost her sixty dollars."

Sebastian nodded absentmindedly. Despite common belief, he found window shopping extremely boring and often let his mother buy him clothing. It really wasn't worth fretting about. Not to mention he had the fashion sense of a blind toddler. No, it was better to leave it to somebody else.

Once Jasmine had finished ogling over the cuffs, they continued walking through the masses. Every now and then Jasmine would let out a gasp of surprise and awe before scurrying over to another window to admire some boots, some gloves, some jewelry, some pants… After a while Sebastian found it exhausting. They had just entered a department store, Macy's maybe? Holiday music played faintly from the speakers and swirled through his mind as he zoned out Jasmine's constant chatter. Sure it was rude, but she was doing just fine as she excitedly browsed through rack after rack of leather dresses. Every now and then she'd hold one up to her body and he'd give an encouraging smile. They all looked exactly the same.

Who decided that all of his clothes had to be black? He liked blue and green. Would it hurt to wear something other than black leather all the time?

"Huh?" Sebastian looked up when he realized Jasmine had been talking to him.

"Wait right here." She instructed. "I need to use the restroom."

As the girl walked off, Sebastian started to look around. There really wasn't much to see in an ocean of black and Sebastian found himself wandering deeper and deeper into the store in attempt to find _something_ with color in it. Maybe red, or even gold. In a matter of minutes he found himself leaving the Dom department all together. In fact, he was nearly on the other side of the store before he found a single thing in any color but black, gray, or brown.

But then he stepped into a world of color. It practically hit him in the face; a rainbow of patterns assaulted his eyes. It was so bright and cheerful and so…colorful! He liked it. Sebastian knew he must have stuck out like a sore thumb. A spiked, black leather clad Dom walking awkwardly through the Little department must have been quite a sight, but he couldn't resist taking another step towards the racks.

When he did, a surge of excitement jolted him. There was e _verything_ here! Soft blankets and cute plushies and customized binkies with names on them and adorable little booties and…God! Jumpers and soft footie pajamas and ropers that looked really comfortable and not tight at all like his awful leather pants and-

"Sebastian?"

Sebastian immediately dropped the feet of the pajamas he had been inspecting and spun around at the sound of a familiar voice. Suddenly his senses, which had been smothered by the dramatic colors, returned and he stood in mortified horror. What the hell had he been thinking? He was in public for Christ's sake!

"Sebastian? Is that you?" Nick repeated and it took Sebastian a moment to find his voice as he slowly lifted his eyes to meet the older boy's gaze.

"Uh…wha-what are you doing here?" He stammered like a child caught doing something naughty.

"I'm doing a little shopping with my family…" Nick replied distractedly, his eyes trained on the pajamas Sebastian had been feeling. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Sebastian cleared his throat and looked around, suppressing a blush. "I um…I was, was just killing time. I-I'm waiting for my cousin." He cringed internally. Talk much?

Nick nodded. "I see." He looked the younger boy up and down. "Well don't you look…pointy."

This time Sebastian flushed and brought a hand to his hair awkwardly. "Yeah, I mean, I don't really uh…my cousin made me." Smooth.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, staring down at their shoes. Sebastian took the time to eye Nick's outfit: salmon colored jeans and a gray coat with a cute, light blue beanie on his head. He compared it to his own clothes and found himself feeling like an idiot.

"Nick?"

Both boys looked up, thankful for the break of silence. A man equally as colorful as Nick approached them. He gave Sebastian's attire a single glance and protectively placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked as if Sebastian couldn't hear. The teen peeked up to find a look of wariness plastered across the man's face.

"It's fine, Dad. He's just a friend." Nick assured him. "Really, go find Mom before she buys out the whole store." Then with one last suspicious gaze in Sebastian's direction, the man slowly walked away. "Sorry." Nick immediately apologized.

Sebastian shrugged, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. It would have looked a lot cooler, Sebastian thought, if the spikes on his cuffs would stop catching on everything.

"So…how's your vacation been?" Nick asked in attempt to make small talk.

Sebastian shrugged again. "It started a few hours ago."

"Oh." There was another bout of thick silence that occurred, and then Nick took a deep breath and began to talk. "I want to apologize for the stuff I said in the infirmary. It…was uncalled for."

Sebastian's cheeks flared and he ducked his head. "I guess." He mumbled, scuffing his boot on the floor.

Nick looked like he wanted to keep talking, but something behind Sebastian caught his attention. He took a step back but before Sebastian could turn to see what the problem was, somebody was tackling him to the ground.

"Hey faggot!"

Sebastian rolled over and peered up to find Adam and Oliver sneering down at him. "What the hell?" He snapped, getting to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"Mom called. She wants us home for lunch and then we're putting up the tree. Family tradition and all that shit." Oliver replied.

"Where are Jasmine and Michael?"

"They're going to get the car." Oliver answered before cocking his head towards Nick. "Who's this?"

Sebastian paled visibly. "Nobody, just-

"Looks like a Daddy to me. Is that what you are?" Adam asked. "You a diaper fucker?"

Nick frowned, obviously trying not to take the slur to heart. "Well I-

"What are you doing talking to a pedo?" Adam grimaced, completely ignoring Nick once more. He looked around in disgust. "And what are you doing in the Little section?"

Sebastian blushed furiously, his eyes flickering over to Nick. He swallowed hard.

"It's probably _his_ daddy!" Oliver sneered, making his brother laugh with delight. "Is that it? Are you a little baby, Sebastian?" The two boys cackled like hyenas as Sebastian's face turned completely red. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Nick, who was staring at the boy with a mix of surprise and pity. "Shut up." He muttered weakly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Baby Bassy! You gonna suck on daddy's 'special pacifier'?" Adam laughed gleefully.

"I said be quiet!" Sebastian ordered, his eyes flashing.

"Oh," Oliver turned to his brother and smiled. "I think Bassy's cwanky." He cooed babyishly.

Adam snickered. "Is his diapey wet? Maybe he needs a-

 _SMACK._

Adam's head turned. His cheek stung. The boys stared at Nick in surprise as the boy began to slip his glove back onto his hand. There was a dangerous glint in his eye.

"I don't usually approve of hitting." He said, "But I don't approve of teasing either."

"You dare touch me? You dirty shit eater!" Adam hissed, lunging towards Nick. Oliver quickly grabbed onto the back of his brother's shirt.

"Not here, you idiot. You wanna get kicked out?" He reminded the younger. When his brother didn't relent, he took his shoulders and led him away. "C'mon Seb!" He barked as the other boy grumbled to himself.

Sebastian stared intently at his shoes, not saying a word. Nick frowned and took a step forward, but when he tried to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder, the younger boy moved away from him.

"Sebastian…"

"Don't talk to me." He muttered before turning and stalking away.

* * *

Sebastian retreated to his room when he got home and locked the door behind him. He knew he'd get it from his mother later for abandoning his relatives, but he didn't care. He didn't want to see them. He didn't want to see anyone. All he wanted was to hide away because he still couldn't get those stupid taunts out of his head and while a part of him wanted to go bash their faces in, another part of him kind of wanted to curl into a ball and cry.

He could still see Nick's face, full of pitiful realization. He could tell exactly what Nick had been thinking, and it humiliated him to the core. He was pathetic. He was less than a man, less than a master…

He stayed in his room for the rest of the night and pretended to be asleep when his mother came to check on him. When it came time for dinner, he told her he wasn't feeling well and to start without him. Jasmine came to see how he was feeling right before bed and he had to come up with some bullshit excuse about diarrhea just to get her to leave. When everybody went to bed, he released a sigh of relief and stared up at his ceiling, wishing he was anywhere but there.

* * *

Nick sat curled up in a blanket. A bowl of popcorn sat on the couch between him and Jeff while a Disney movie ran on abc family. With his parents out having a nice dinner and Jeff sleeping over, they had elected to keep warm inside. As cozy as the whole setting was, Nick found himself unable to get comfortable and he knew exactly the reason why.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this quiet." Jeff commented.

"Huh? Oh, um yeah, I guess." Nick mumbled distractedly.

Jeff frowned and got up, crawling closer to Nick. "Is this about that MIT again?" He inquired. When Nick didn't reply, he let out a long sigh. "You've got to forget about him."

"You didn't see his face. He looked so ashamed, I thought he was going to cry right there in the middle of the store." The brunet shook his head. "If that's what the rest of his family is like, then I understand why he is the way he is."

Jeff rubbed his eyes and sat back on his knees. "Look, Nick. You're my best friend so I'm going to be completely honest with you." He gripped Nick's shoulders. "This has to stop. You and Sebastian lead two entirely different lives that could and should never ever collide. Even if he wanted to, you can't be friends. You have to know that. You can't be mates, you can't be _anything._ "

"And why not? Because society says so?" Nick scowled.

"No, because instinct says so. Science, says so. You're a daddy, he's a master. You would clash horribly with each other. It's against nature."

"It could work." Nick protested. "Why can't I have a friend who just so happens to enjoy leather and chains?"

"Please, it would end in disaster." Jeff pouted at him. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Can't we just go back to watching the movie?"

Nick sighed and didn't say anything else when Jeff wrapped his arms around the boy and gently tugged him onto his side. He knew he couldn't blame Jeff for his attitude. He didn't know Sebastian. He hadn't seen the picture on his phone or witnessed the way his own family treated him. Nick just knew better.

* * *

Sebastian needed a break. Back in his room, a pile of leather and spikes sat in a heap on the end of his bed. While it had been nice to see the happy expressions on everyone else's faces as they opened their presents, faking it on his own got tiring after a while. Did he really need more leather? Why not cotton or fleece? And why black? On second thought, he wasn't going to get into that again. But still, why did his wardrobe have to look like one big Kiss concert? The point was that he needed an escape from his overbearing family, even if it was just a walk around the corner.

He traveled on foot, six blocks to a small coffee shop that sat on the corner of a busy road. By then he was shivering so he rushed inside, releasing a breath of relief when the warm air welcomed him. That is, until he spotted Nick and his blonde friend sitting at a table.

This was getting a little ridiculous now. Could it be a setup? Were they messing with him, following him around purposefully? But he had decided to stop there only minutes before so how could they have known? He turned and tried to leave and he almost made it, too. He had one hand on the door when he heard Nick calling his name. He decided to make a run for it, flinging the door open. Unfortunately, he barely got a foot over the threshold before a firm but soft hand was grabbing his shoulder.

"Sebastian!"

"The freshman sighed in defeat and turned to face Nick who was staring at him with an excited but worried expression. "What?" He asked gruffly.

"I…do you want to sit with us?" Nick asked.

Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets. "No thanks."

"Please? You came all this way you might as well get something. Just sit down with us for a few minutes."

Sebastian shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I'd rather not be seen hanging out with you. I have a reputation."

"So?" Nick argued, feeling hurt. "Nobody here knows who you are. What's the big deal? It's just coffee. There's nothing wrong with that."

Sebastian glowered at him in an attempt at intimidation but instead it just revealed how scared he was feeling. "I told you no. Just leave me alone."

Nick frowned deeply and took a step back. "Fine. Feel free to join at any time."

"Don't hold your breath." Sebastian muttered in reply. He wandered into the café and joined the line of customers. Keeping himself distracted proved to be difficult and staring at the pastries in the cake display did nothing to take his mind off of the pair of eyes that was burning into the back of his skull.

The second he had his coffee, Sebastian hurried out of the shop. That had been great; just one less place he had to hide from his family. The universe certainly wasn't granting him any favors this time. He didn't feel like going home yet, so he settled for walking around in the freezing weather until he could no longer ignore the numbness of his face and toes. He headed back home, dropping his cup in a neighbor's trashcan and stomped the snow off of his boots before stepping inside. Warm air immediately engulfed him and made his skin itch as he removed his boots.

"Sebastian? Is that you?" He heard his mother call. Before he could even answer, she was by his side and removing his damp clothing to leave in the basement. "Jasmine and the boys are waiting for you." She told him as she ushered him through the hall. "They're about to watch A Christmas Story."

Sebastian sighed tiredly. His cousins, Jasmine included, had a bad habit of talking nonstop through movies. Of all the times he had seen A Christmas Story, he had yet to understand what it was actually about. He mostly just watched it too see Randy…or was it Ralphie?...in that god awful bunny suit. It was ugly, but there was something intriguing about it. Like maybe if he got one for Christmas, he wouldn't be all too mad…

"Jesus Christ!" Michael huffed. "Look at how they dressed back then!"

Sebastian took a seat at the end as Adam snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "They look like Legals."

"Don't you idiots pay attention in history? Everybody was a legal back then. Commoners were anyway." Jasmine scoffed in a know-it-all voice.

"That's right." Grandfather called from the kitchen. He slowly rose out of his chair and shuffled over to the couch so he could lecture to their faces. "Once upon a time there were only masters and slaves. Everybody else kept it private and plain." He sighed nostalgically. "Those were the days. I remember…

Sebastian zoned out at the point, for he knew that once his grandfather started lecturing about the values and traditions of Dom/sub relationships, he wouldn't stop until it was time for bed. He dutifully nodded each time the man glanced his way, but quickly found his mind wandering towards Nick…and Jeff.

He was pretty sure that Jeff hated his guts. Why wouldn't he? After all he was a master and he'd helped Hunter and Thad terrorize Littles on numerous occasions. Sebastian frowned, imagining the way Jeff was always looming protectively around Nick. It was borderline possessive in his opinion.

The realization hit him suddenly. Doms? Two Doms in a relationship? That would never work! Doms were scientifically incompatible with each other! It was common sense! And not to mention that Nick was in the market for a baby, not another Daddy! A surge of jealousy passed through him but he quickly banished the sensation away, feeling ashamed of himself. What was he doing thinking about any of this stuff? Nick was a _Daddy,_ with a capital D. It wasn't like he had a chance with Nick either.

Sebastian didn't feel like watching A Christmas Story anymore. He clambered off of the couch and headed upstairs without a word. His grandfather stopped mid sentence and he, along with the other teens watched in surprise as the younger boy disappeared into his room.

He didn't really know what he had planned to do when he got there, but it didn't matter because in less than five minutes, there was an urgent rapping on his bedroom door. Sebastian was tempted to just ignore it, but he couldn't even rise from his bed before it swung open, revealing all five feet and six inches of pissed off mother. She shot daggers at him from the threshold, her hands clenched at her waist in a power stance.

"Sebastian Smythe, you better have a good explanation for your behavior, young man!" She hissed furiously.

Sighing, Sebastian slid off of his bed and stalked over. "Listen, mom, it's not like that. I just-

 _SMACK!_

Sebastian sighed and rubbed the burning spot on his left cheek.

"You dare treat your grandfather, the Master of the Smythe clan with such disrespect? You, mister, have got another thing coming." She roughly grabbed Sebastian's arm and as she was yanking him down the hall, the weight of his actions began to sink in. He had made a very grave mistake. How could he have been so fucking stupid? Blatantly disrespecting the honored leader of their familial patriarch all because he was feeling jealous over a boy? And now everybody was going to be pssed at him. He didn't blame them, but it was still never a good thing to become a target in a clan of whipping, chaining, angered masters. He sighed tiredly. So much for being the Smythe family's "Golden Boy." After this little stunt, he'd be surprised if anybody spoke to him for the rest of their visit.

As expected, he was brought into the living room where the entire family sat waiting for him. While some like Jasmine and the two subs wore sympathetic expressions, most everyone had stern masks of disapproval. He blatantly ignored his cousins' gleeful smirks, making his way over to his grandfather in the silent room.

Without encouragement, Sebastian dropped to his knees at his grandfather's feet and bowed his head in submission. Keeping his eyes trained on the ground, he didn't dare move or speak; he knew his place.

"I must say that I am rather shocked at this behavior, Sebastian. What say you?" The old man asked.

Sebastian dutifully lifted his head, keeping his gaze lowered to the knees before him. "No excuse, sir. I am at fault for my own actions and do so humbly apologize. I beg my forgiveness in hope that you will correct my wrongdoing in the way that you see fit…sir." He recited, as all M/s children were taught to do at a very young age.

His grandfather "hmphed" in approval and nodded. He turned to the set of whips that were proudly displayed on the living room wall and selected one, running the leather through his wrinkled, calloused hands. "Fifteen."

Sebastian's stomach flipped and he suddenly felt the desire to vacate his bowels. Oh dear. He didn't even need to look at the whip to know that it would hurt, and he would most likely bleed. He didn't bother protesting or pleading to his parents to intervene. He was no coward and the shame that such an act would bring him and his parents far outweighed the pain he would experience here in this room.

"Thank you for honoring me with your disciplinary hand so that I may learn from my mistakes, sir." Sebastian replied, willing his voice to remain steady. He obediently removed his top and walked over to the doorway of the living room. Without a sound, he reached up and leaned forward slightly to catch his fingers on the piece of wood that jutted out from the wall. His muscles stretched, exposing the lean, pale shape of his back and the bumpy texture of his protruding rib bones. He bowed his head, took a deep breath, and waited.

Sebastian didn't cry; at least not while it was happening. Years and years of discipline had taught him restraint: something he was thankful for now as his entire family watched him get whipped like a dog. His eyes grew glassy, but he did not shed a single tear. He hissed, but didn't scream. He tightly gripped the wooden slab until it hurt to move his knuckles and he bit his lip until it bled, but he didn't cry.

His grandfather was an experienced master and therefore was careful not to overlap too much, but by the time his punishment was finished, small trails of blood and sweat trickled down to his tailbone.

"Finished." His grandfather stated.

Sebastian painfully unhooked his fingers which ached horribly from their strain and slowly turned around to face his relatives. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his sore hands as he regained his composure. Not a single tear had slipped from his eyes and he could feel his mother and father's suppressed pride from across the room, despite the tense situation. Keeping his eyes submissively lowered, he sank to his knees once more. "Thank you for honoring me with your disciplinary hand." He repeated. "I have learned from my mistakes and do so humbly beg for your forgiveness, sir." He stared at the floor, feeling his grandfather's eyes bore into him. The room remained silent, everybody watching him intently.

"Forgiven. You are dismissed." His grandfather replied while he handed the whip over to his father to be cleaned.

Sebastian rose to his feet and kept his head bowed respectfully, letting out a sigh of relief. His grandfather's tone was softer, though never had it ever truly been gentle. He was out of hot water...for now. As he retreated to his bedroom, the conversation slowly started up once more.

* * *

"What about that Italian restaurant in town…Breadstix?" Nick suggested.

"You mean that place in Lima?" Jeff grimaced. "The last time I went there I saw some crazy chick fill an entire wheelbarrow with breadsticks."

Nick shrugged. "They are legally obligated to keep serving you breadsticks."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "I honestly don't understand why you're so hung up on him. He's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want anything to do with us."

"You just don't get it, Jeff." Nick protested softly. "It's not that that he doesn't, it's his horrible family. They'd probably disown him or something if he was seen with us."

"Or maybe it's him." Jeff retorted. "I wish you would just get it through your head that he doesn't like you."

"Shut up. I know he does. You don't know him like I do." Nick said stubbornly. "He's special."

Jeff scowled and slumped back. "It's not going to happen. A daddy and a master are never going to happen. This isn't fucking Romeo and Juliet. You're going to find a baby and I'll find a baby and we'll have that big family we always talked about and Sebastian will live out his life with an obedient slave boy and forget all about you."

Nick looked at him in pain. "What's your problem? Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because I know better and so should you. Don't get into trouble over some stupid MIT having an identity crisis." Jeff scolded.

Nick frowned and sat up, crawling closer to Jeff. "Mr. Silverstein told me once that it's possible for a student to be sorted incorrectly." He defended. "It could happen."

"That's total bull." Jeff started, but Nick wouldn't let him finish.

"He said that some of the more traditional master families will train their kids at an early age to give specific answers on the Test in order to guarantee their place at a BDSM school."

"That's a myth." Jeff scoffed.

Nick crawled closer, getting right in his face. "Is it?"

"Yes, it is." Jeff shoved him away. "It's just an excuse made up to justify all of the master patriarchs in our country. They just don't want people knowing that sadism is hereditary."

"Bullshit."

"No, it's true." Jeff nodded. "It's passed down through generations. My mom watched a documentary on it. They brainwash their kids to bring out their sadistic streaks and physically abuse them until they start school."

"You're an idiot." Nick scowled. "And also a little crazy."

"I'm crazy? I'm not the one who's crushing on a leather clad freak!" Jeff snapped.

"You don't even know him! He's scared and he doesn't know what to do! I mean, he picked a plushy out of the selection room for Christ's sake!"

Jeff stiffened. "That doesn't prove anything."

Nick sighed. "You're never going to give him a chance, are you?"

"We have a plan, Nick. Why are you suddenly trying to throw a wrench into it?" Jeff scowled. "Are you _trying_ to hurt me?"

Nick looked up, his eyes wide. "You're jealous? That's what this is?"

Jeff reddened and crossed his arms defensively. "I don't want to see you get hurt. You have something good, Nick. It'll be you and me and Trent and we'll have our little family in the city and we'll be happy."

"Trent is _yours,_ Jeff." Nick frowned. "I need someone of my own, too. Don't I deserve that connection too?" He bit his lip and looked down, playing with a loose thread on his shirt. "Maybe...maybe Sebastian is my someone." He glanced up in time to see the pain flash across his best friend's face. "I love you, Jeff. But if you love me, then you'll let me find the connection that makes _me_ happy, even if it's not what makes you happy."

Jeff stared a hole into him. "Just remember who's going to be there for you when this all falls apart."


	7. Chapter 7

**Winter 2007, Year 3**

"No."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

Sebastian snorted. "Yeah, because the times we've gone in the past have been such blasts."

"Here's the thing, though. Thad got this awesome paintball gun for Christmas and we want to test it out."

"Have fun, see you when you get back."

It was Monday; the first Monday since break had ended. His back hurt, and now thanks to Hunter's constant bothering, so did his head which he was starting to use a lot more than he used to.

After his punishment, he'd sat in his room and thought. He thought about the pain, how it hurt and how he'd had to beg for the pain and then thank his grandfather afterwards. He'd sat and wondered if Nick's father, in his colorful clothes had ever whipped his son. Most importantly, he wondered why. Why did he have to beg? Why did he have to be whipped? Babies got time outs, legals got grounded, so why was he beaten? Why was he forced to take punishment if he was supposed to be a master? Why was he treated like a dog in his own family when kids on TV got a slap on the wrist and a week of no socializing? It made the gashes on his back sting.

"…and then we still have the key and-

"I don't wanna fucking go!" Sebastian snapped, taking Hunter by surprise.

"What?" The boy asked, taking a step back.

"Don't you get it? It's pointless. You're pointless. This whole thing is a waste of time!" Sebastian said in frustration. "If you love the place so fucking much, why don't you just enroll there? Is that it? Do you want to be a baby?" He asked, talking loud enough for those around them to turn their heads curiously. "Do you keep going there hoping they'll catch you and force you into diapers and-

Suddenly Sebastian was being cut off, his face colliding with Hunter's fist.

"The fuck is your deal, man? You PMSing or something? We just wanna go shoot stuff." Hunter glared at him. "But whatever, you can go to Hell. Go fuck yourself on Headmaster's whip for all I care." He turned and left, leaving a very red-faced Sebastian standing in the middle of the hallway.

Hunter and Sebastian were best friends. Now they weren't. Sebastian attended show choir practice until Hunter started excluding him from solo try outs and giving him background beats. He picked on him during practice. Sebastian stopped going to choir practice.

Sebastian also did well in class, but it was hard to concentrate when Hunter and Thad constantly threw paper wads and him and took his stuff. He complained and his teachers told him to stop being such a doormat.

Sebastian started spending a lot of time in his room. He didn't talk to anybody or text or go online. He ignored Nick's IMs and the rude comments that Hunter posted about him. He did his homework and stayed hidden away where nobody could get to him. During this time, he had a lot of stress so he spent a lot of time in bed with his…relaxation tool. Most of his nights, Sebastian could be found (or would never be found) curled up in bed with the TV on or his homework in his lap while the plastic pacifier bobbed up and down in his mouth. It felt good and it helped.

Maybe it was too much of a good thing. He started evolving. It was no long just weekends, but weeknights as well. He had quick dinners and spent the extra twenty minutes of alone time sitting on his bed with the rubber nipple resting on his tongue. Next he started doing it after school, then in the dark before he went to sleep… He got sloppy and careless. He got lazy, not bothering to conceal the pacifier in his pillow. Instead he dropped it in his desk drawer or stuffed it into a tissue box. He did this for weeks, months, until the snow melted and the air got warm.

 **Spring 2007, Year 3**

He was in his room one fine April day when there was a knock at the door. He jolted up, his hand automatically flying to the plastic shield on his mouth. The doorknob jiggled, so he raced over to his desk and dropped the toy inside just as the door opened. "What?" He snapped, slamming the drawer shut.

"Jesus Christ, Sebastian. Chill out." Thad frowned. "What, are you jacking off in here or something?"

"Shut up." Sebastian scowled. "What do you want?"

"Listen, shrew, we're going to shoot some baskets and we need an even team. You coming?" Thad asked.

Sebastian hesitated. If he said yes, he would lose precious time with his "de-stressor" but if he didn't, the guys might have started getting suspicious about what he did every day after school. With one last glance at his desk, Sebastian pulled his shoes on and followed Thad, not bothering to lock the door.

Together they walked down to the basketball court and the boys all greeted him as if he hadn't quit the Warblers and cut off all social contact with them. Even Hunter seemed to be forgiving and forgetting. They played for a while and had a good time, but every now and then one or two boys would call it a day. They'd go inside and the others continued until the sky grew dark and only Sebastian and Thad remained. They agreed to go in and chatted about things like schoolwork and exams and the upcoming spring break until they reached Sebastian's room. The boy, feeling sweaty, elected to take a shower and headed straight for the bathroom, giving Thad the liberty to leave on his own.

"Uh hey, can I borrow your chemistry homework?" Thad called as he looked around the dorm room. "I'll give it back to you tomorrow during breakfast."

"Umm…sure. I think it's on my desk." Sebastian replied.

Thad nodded and searched the desktop, lifting papers and shuffling through notebooks. When he didn't see the worksheet, he went ahead and began rummaging through the drawers. He found pencils and pens and post it notes and...he stopped cold.

Thad had to backtrack. Checking to make sure the shower was still running, he plucked the plastic shield between his fingers and narrowed his eyes. What was Sebastian doing with a pacifier? Where did he get it? Questions that he thought-just thought, he might already have known the answer to. He hesitated before grabbing the pacifier and stuffing it in his pocket as the severity of the situation really hit him. Sebastian Smythe, top Dom, friend of nearly three years was…a pedo. He was a Little! He and Hunter and everyone else had been deceived! Tricked by a sneaky little brat! It was all so clear now! Why Sebastian never like to go to the baby school and how he was always getting caught there! It wasn't bad luck, he _wanted_ to get caught! Thad smirked. So why should he deny him what he truly desired?

Shoving the drawer closed, Thad quickly fled the room, imagining just how he was going to break the news to Hunter.

Sebastian was living in fear. Not like, scary movie fear or a mini heart attack, but real fear. Like a shiv in his stomach twisting and turning until he felt dizzy and nauseated and he couldn't remember how to breathe. Ever since he'd found the pacifier missing from his desk drawer, he'd been living in a personal nightmare. It'd been three days since it disappeared. He desperately searched his room: under his bed, in his bag, and in his covers, but it was nowhere to be found. He spent a lot of time studying people's faces, trying to figure out who knew. He focused on his roommate especially, but the fat pig seemed as oblivious as ever. He didn't understand. He had been so careful. Where could it have gone?

Sometimes he felt the need to cry and excused himself to the bathroom.

He no longer ate since he was now plagued with constant nausea. He couldn't pay attention in class and he had trouble sleeping at night because of the scenarios that played through his imagination until the early morning. They all consisted of public humiliation and his father's disgusted expression and lots of ugly nurses and Hunter and Thad jeering at him from that wire fence at the playground. He didn't sleep anymore.

* * *

Nick got called to the office. Kids gave him curious looks as he rose from his seat and slung his bag over his shoulder before excusing himself from the lecture that his economics teacher was giving them. Jeff cast him a questioning look as he passed but Nick just shrugged. He hurried down to the administration office and was sent straight into the private office of the school's head mother. Despite popular belief, Headmother was not very maternal at all. She was a sharp, beautiful woman who demanded satisfaction and respect from everyone she met. That's why Nick made sure his outfit was neat and straight before entering.

To his surprise, she was not alone. The Headfather, as well as another scary-looking man dressed in leather and chains, were standing on either side of her while Mother sat tall and poised in her leather chair.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Duval." Mother greeted him and smiled ever so slightly. "Please take a seat."

Nick obediently lowered himself into the cushioned chair in front of her desk. "What's going on?" He asked curiously.

"It has come to our attention that you're rather familiar with a certain student at the master school. Is this true?" Mother asked.

Nick's eyebrow lifted. "Seb-Sebastian?"

"Yes." The scary man scowled. "Third year student Sebastian Smythe. You know him?"

"Ye-yes, but-

"And would you consider yourself his friend?"

"Well not really…"

Mother pushed her glasses up and peered at Nick. "Mr. Duval, has Sebastian ever displayed any strange behavior around you?" She asked, always straight to the point.

Nick furrowed his eyebrows. "Strange?"

"Yes." The leather man replied impatiently. "Any behavior that breaks from standard master training."

Nick's eyes widened. Had Sebastian really been caught? Had his theories been spot on the whole time? Did Sebastian know? Oh…oh poor Sebastian…

"What's this about?" Nick stalled, contemplating whether or not to tell the truth.

"We'll be asking the questions." The man said stiffly. "So answer us."

Nick hesitated, glancing at Clemens before shaking his head. "No." He said a bit too quickly.

The older man immediately caught the lie and stepped forward to place a hand on Nick's shoulder. "All we want to do is make things right. If a student has been wrongfully sorted, it is our responsibility to put them where they really belong. Please help us do that, Nick."

Nick bit his lip and sighed, staring at his lap. "One time…we were stocking closets for the nurseries and I…I took him into the selection room." He mumbled. He expected to be scolded for breaking the rules. But instead the older man nodded for him to continue. "He found this stuffed frog and the way he looked at it…the desire was stronger than in any other baby I've ever seen." He sighed, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. How could he betray Sebastian like this? He was no friend, not when he sat here selling him out like this. But if it really could help Sebastian…

"Thank you, Nick. You are dismissed." Mother told him, making him pause. That was it? No more? What was going on? Why couldn't he stay and discuss this with them? Nobody else in the whole world knew Sebastian like Nick did. He could help! He wanted to scream at them, shake the desk, and yell in their faces.

Instead he said "yes, Miss" and left the room.

* * *

Sebastian was listening to a lecture on subspace when Headmaster himself appeared in the doorway of the classroom. In less than a second, every student was sitting up straight in his seat and listening to the teacher so intently that one would think he was answering life's biggest questions. Their eyes flickered over to watch as Headmaster strolled right into the room and down the row of desks to Sebastian's. Upon his arrival, he stood in silence and stared down at the squirming freshman.

Sebastian slowly glanced up, his stomach sinking at the grave expression on Headmaster's face.

"Sebastian Smythe, come with me."

Speechless, Sebastian gathered his things as his classmates around him began to smirk or exchange confused looks. They all watched closely as the two disappeared into the hall with Sebastian struggling to keep up with the taller man. He expected to be escorted to the administration office or even his dorm, but instead he was led right out the front door of the building and into the warm spring air. A school van was waiting for them there.

He was beyond confused, but he knew better than to talk out of turn in front of Headmaster. He settled for tightly gripping his bag and looking around.

"Get in." Headmaster ordered. Sebastian naturally did what he was told and slid into the van, pushing himself as far from the older man as he could. To his surprise, Headmaster didn't get in with him. Instead he stood in the doorway and stared at him solemnly. "Sebastian Smythe, it has come to the attention of the school board that you were wrongfully sorted into this school during the spring of 2004. Since you in fact do not possess the correct mental attributes to attend this learning institution, you are being transferred to the proper facilities, effective immediately." He frowned and placed his hands behind his back. "Your possessions will be sent over later."


	8. Chapter 8

**Spring 2007, Year 3**

Sebastian felt like he had been shot. He couldn't hear, his face felt hot, and his limbs were tingling. What was happening? He didn't understand what was going on. They…they couldn't do this, could they? How…there was just no way this could ever be happening in a million years. He was Sebastian Smythe, fourteen year old star student at Dalton Academy, a dom in training... not the protagonist of a bad Lifetime movie! There was no doubt his parents had heard and he knew that they wouldn't accept it for a second. They would fight, take the school to court, unless…

Another horrifying thought occurred to him. What if his parents had consented to this? After all, the disgrace of having a baby for a son was quite serious. The shame he would bring to his family would be immense. They could disown him, make him estranged from the family. Jasmine certainly wouldn't be caught speaking to him ever again and his cousins would have a field day. He could just imagine them at the gate right there with Hunter and Thad.

Sebastian stared out the window swallowing bile that occasionally rose in the back of his throat. Trees and cars passed by and when those colorful towers came into view far ahead, he contemplated the odds of his success in jumping out of the van. He just had to tuck and roll or something, right? He'd seen it done in the movies all the time. The driver must have known what he was thinking because he glanced at him in the mirror and sped up a little as if to say "do it and see what happens." He sighed. There's nowhere he'd be able to run, anyway.

That Clemens guy was waiting for him in the parking lot with two women dressed in matching white uniforms. As the van grew closer, Sebastian could also make out another nurse, a male. The head of the school had a grim look on his face and Sebastian couldn't help finding it strange on the normally cheerful man. The driver got out and hurried over to the door to let him out as if he might try to escape out the other way. When the door opened, he contemplated refusing to get out, but he noticed the male nurse take a step forward and knew that unless he wanted to be dragged out, he had no choice but to slip out himself. He did so, keeping his eyes on the ground as his face burned with shame. Mr. Clemens walked over but he refused to look at him.

"Hello, Sebastian. Are you feeling alright? You look ill." He commented sincerely. When the teen stayed silent, he nodded passively and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "How about we get you something to drink and then we can talk about what's been going on. I'm sure you must be very confused right now."

Feeling completely numb, Sebastian followed him into the large building and down the hall. His black and leather attire elicited curious looks from students and faculty alike, but he hardly noticed. Sebastian could feel himself shrinking and his stomach rolled dangerously. An overwhelming sense of deja-vu arose. He bowed his head as Mr. Clemens led him to his office and sat himself down in the chair that was offered to him. Clemens took a seat behind his large desk and folded his hands on the table.

"Feel free to help yourself." Clemens reminded him as he nodded to the candy pacifiers and apple juice. "Nobody here will judge you."

Sebastian shook his head. "I just want to know what's going on." He said, willing his voice to remain calm and even.

Mr. Clemens stared straight into Sebastian's eyes. "Mister Smythe, when you were a child, did your parents ever ask you questions: questions about your interests or even your personality?"

Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest, thinking back to all the times his father had sat him down and quizzed him about his hobbies, his likes and dislikes…every time he said or did something that didn't conform to the traditional family values, his mother and father would correct him. " _No, Sebastian. Sucking your thumb is naughty. Sick, evil children do that…don't be silly, Seb, teddy bears are for little girls. Are you a weak little girl or are you a big strong man?"_

"What is this about? Just tell me!" He demanded.

"Sebastian, a pacifier was discovered in with your personal belongings." Clemens replied. "We investigated the matter and it's been confirmed by several of your peers that you've been displaying 'unique' behavior. Your headmaster and the other principals including myself have come to the conclusion that you were wrongly sorted as a master. We are deeply sorry for putting you through this turmoil, but you'll be spending the rest of your legal education here as a little." The man looked at him sympathetically. "The forms have already been filled out and signed."

At that point, Sebastian had checked out of the conversation. The room spun. His head throbbed. He felt sweaty; it was too hot. He was going to barf. A little? He was a little now? Was that it? No ceremony or dramatic transformations that would buy him time to put a stop to the madness? Just a quick signature and a stamp of approval could alter his entire way of life forever? He was just a baby and he couldn't stop it or anything? There had to be more. Something, anything.

"Sebastian?" Clemens asked, seeing the boy's eyes glaze over. He slowly rose from his chair and kneeled beside him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You okay, son?"

"This…this is a mistake." Sebastian rasped. His face heated up and he sprang from his chair. "You need to believe me when I say this is all a huge misunderstanding."

"Sebastian, please try to stay calm-

"No, you don't understand. I'm not a baby. I…I just found the thing. The pacifier isn't mine." He argued, backing away from the desk.

"Sebastian." Clemens repeated, stretching his arm out to offer his hand. Sebastian ignored it completely and took another step back. He raised his palm to steady himself against the wall while his eyes flickered to the doorway. The older man caught it and took a small step forward. "Sebastian, please listen. We can get this all figured out."

Sebastian violently shook his head, a desperately panicked expression replacing his stony façade. In less than a second, he darted to the door and swung it open, preparing to run. Having expected this, two nurses were waiting right there to grab him. The man and the woman seized his arms and led him back to the chair in front of Clemens' desk. Sebastian grunted, struggled, and cursed them but they ignored it all. To them it was just another charge having a tantrum. They grabbed his shoulders and pressed him into the chair until Clemens gestured at them to let go. They took a few steps back from the chair and waited.

"Please hear me out. We don't plan to force you into anything you don't really want. We're here to help you with your transition. It doesn't have to be sudden. This is about making you feel comfortable." The principal said.

"I don't belong here!" Sebastian protested, his eyes welling up with humiliating tears. "It's a mistake. I really don't want it. It was just a mistake." His voice cracked and he inhaled sharply.

"I understand that this is all very frightening for you, but it doesn't have to happen all at once. We can do this one step at a time." Clemens responded. He checked the clock. "It's almost noon, would you like some lunch?"

Sebastian shook his head insistently. "I want to leave. I want to talk to my parents."

Clemens pursed his lips apologetically. "We've tried to contact your parents but they don't seem to be available." He answered solemnly. "However, I won't keep you from trying." He gestured to the phone and turned to the nurse on the right. "Would you go get Mr. Smythe something to eat?" He asked. The man nodded and left without a word with the other nurse close behind, leaving Sebastian and Clemens alone.

In the time it took the nurses to return with a tray of pasta and vegetables, Sebastian had left nine voicemails total on his parent's answering machine: three urgent, four angry, and two filled with tear-filled pleas.

It took another half hour for Sebastian to stop fighting and pleading with Clemens and the nurses. His things arrived a few hours later in the luggage cases that they had been packed in and were taken to one of the spare rooms that were usually reserved for visiting mommies/daddies in training. To Sebastian's relief it looked like any other plain dorm room. The only thing that strayed from the usual was the brand-new binky that sat mockingly on the bedside table like a big slap in the face. Sebastian couldn't even bring himself to look at it for more than a few seconds.

He was told to unpack, but didn't. He couldn't. Not here, not ever in this school. That would only mean he was there to stay, which he wasn't. By now class would be over and everyone at school would be talking about how Headmaster pulled him out of class. Thad and Hunter would be looking for him probably and who knows what would happen when they found his dorm empty…

Sebastian wouldn't eat dinner and he wasn't able to sleep. He changed into pajamas to satisfy the nurses that came in to check on him. As he slipped into bed, he knew those white demons wouldn't be leaving any time soon, but that was okay. He could wait.

He did wait. He waited and waited and stared up at the ceiling in the darkness of the room until he was positive that the nurses had surrendered their posts and left the hallway. That was when he climbed out of bed and slipped into jeans and a hoodie. He was careful not to make too much noise as he tiptoed out of the room, muffling the sound of the turning doorknob with his hand to avoid getting caught before he was even a foot away from the room.

Internally, he was panicking. Where would he go? Could he even go home now? His parents could be cutting him out of the family photo at that very moment. Who knew how they were dealing with this news? He didn't even get a chance to consider any other options because the second he reached the end of the hallway there were two nurses calling out to him. Sebastian took off running, feeling very much like a wanted fugitive as he sprinted down the hall. His heart pounded heavily in his chest as loud footsteps pursued him. He was trapped. He knew there was no escaping this place. He didn't even know how to find the exit from there. Sooner or later they would catch him and then what would happen? Would they send him back to bed with a slap on the wrist? If only. They'd punish him for sure. He could just imagine them holding him down for a spanking, forcing him into a diaper and chaining him to a crib until he shit himself. More panic arose and his guts felt ready to burst out of his chest. He wasn't just scared, he was terrified and anxious in a way he'd never felt before.

There was a corner up ahead and he was forced to slow down to avoid slipping and crashing into the wall. Unfortunately, these nurses had the advantage of knowing the school's floor plan. The minute he slowed down for the turn, they sped up, grabbing his arm and yanking him back.

"There we go." The male nurse said as he scooped the boy into his arms.

"Let go!" Sebastian snarled, kicking and struggling against his grip. "Lemme go!"

"Sorry, bud." The guy said, lowering him to the ground. He avoided Sebastian's erratic kicking and strategically eased him onto the floor so that his knees were caught beneath him. The man sank down and pulled him into a tight bear hug so that he could keep him easily restrained in his lap. "Just try to relax, okay?"

Sebastian shook his head wildly and thrashed about, refusing to listen to whatever these nurses had to say. "I said let go! Let go you fucking creep!" He had tears threatening to spill and his voice was in danger of cracking but even though he was caught, his heart kept pounding. It wasn't until he looked up that he realized that the second nurse had gone and fetched the headmaster to deal with him.

Mr. Clemens kneeled down beside him but from what Sebastian could tell, he didn't look angry. He didn't look happy either. He was no longer wearing his nicely pressed suit, but instead sported sweat pants and a crew neck sweater. The man stared at him as if the nurse wasn't even there holding him down against his will. "Are you okay, Sebastian?"

"Let me go!" Sebastian screamed over and over, ignoring the man's attempt to talk to him. He managed to get his right arm free and threw his hand out blindly, catching the corner of Clemens' glasses. The nurse immediately grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back, making the boy whimper a bit.

"Ease up a bit, Jason. You're hurting him." Clemens said gently as he adjusted his glasses. "Sebastian didn't mean it. He's processing a lot. He needs time to get used to his new home."

"What? Are you kidding me? No!" Sebastian snapped sharply. "I don't belong here!"

"I understand that this is all very hard to digest but it'll be much easier with a little cooperation and a good night's sleep." The man replied calmly.

"What, so you can jump me in my sleep? You can't keep me here! This is illegal! I know my rights!" Sebastian stated angrily. "You can't make me do anything! You can't convert me! I'm no pedo!"

Clemens looked at the boy to see if he was trying to be intentionally hurtful, but all he saw in Sebastian's face was fear. He sighed and ran a hand over his head. With Sebastian having been raised in a strong anti-infantilism environment, he knew this process was going to be a long and complicated one. The hard truth was that this was an unprecedented case and it was impossible to know if the standard regression techniques would even work on him. He wasn't innocent, he knew about and may have even experienced sex, and he'd been exposed to things that some Littles went their whole life not knowing about. Not to mention that if he should try to resist the training, then the program would most likely fail. Sebastian was a special case indeed. Stuck between Dom and sub, master and baby, he could only imagine what sort of awkward in-between zone Sebastian might spend his whole life stuck in if nothing was done to help him.

"Sebastian, please listen to me." Clemens requested. He waited patiently for his protests to stop and once those wide, defiant, eyes had rested on him, he continued. "I can promise you that we won't be doing anything to you that you don't feel comfortable with tonight."

"Why should I believe you?" He practically growled.

"Why not? We didn't put you in a crib, did we? You have your own private room." Clemens shrugged.

Sebastian opened his mouth, but no sound escaped. "I-It's a trick." He stammered. "You're just waiting for me to fall asleep so that you can stick me in a nursery and drug me!"

Clemens frowned. Their first job was definitely going to be convincing Sebastian that his picture of the ABDL community was a false one issued by horror and suspense writers in the BDSM society to paint a bad image of parents and shame littles.

"You're friends with Nick Sterling, am I wrong?" He asked. Sebastian nodded and watched the man shrug his shoulders. "Well has he ever forced you to do anything you didn't really want to do?"

Sebastian considered it and shook his head. Sure he had suggested it a few times, but there was never any pushing.

"So do you think we would?" Clemens asked. He saw Sebastian hesitate again and quickly decided to end it there. "You have my word that nobody will disturb you tonight and if they do, I will personally escort you out of this school."

Sebastian met Clemens' eyes and stared at him thoroughly to check for any signs of deceit. When he found none, his resistance crumbled a bit and he nodded. He _was_ tired.

"Yeah?" Clemens smiled, motioning to the nurses to back off so that the boy could stand. Sebastian nodded again so the headmaster looked to the nurses and gave them a small gesture of dismissal. "I think I can handle it from here." He told them. The two employees took the hint and resumed their duties, making Sebastian visibly relax as they disappeared down the hall. "Why don't I show you back to your room so you can get some rest?" He suggested, resting a gentle hand on Sebastian's shoulder. He felt the boy tense and calmly removed it again, instead guiding him down the hall.

They walked in silence, a nurse or two occasionally passing by to glance at him before resuming their duties. He kept his head down and said nothing until he was deposited back into his assigned room.

"Good night, Sebastian. I hope you sleep well." Clemens said before closing the door.

The teen sighed in defeat and sat down on the bed. He knew that there was no stopping the inevitable. He wouldn't be leaving, Whether he liked it or not, he was going to be stuck here to rot and eventually be paired up with some creep of a daddy-

Sebastian shuddered.

He stared at the wall through dull, hopeless eyes. If only his parents could see what kind of hell hole he'd been stuck in…

Sebastian perked up. His parents! He hadn't even been able to talk with them yet. Surely they were as upset about this whole fiasco as he was! No doubt his father was getting ready to take the school board to court over what was imply a huge misunderstanding. Once his father got in prosecution mode, nothing would stand in his way. The man was a state attorney after all. He could call him the next day and sort this entire thing out. Once mother and father heard what he had to say, he'd be back at school with his friends in no time.

"Are you feeling any better today, Sebastian?" Clemens asked. They were back in his office with Clemens leaning back in his chair while Sebastian stared at the phone impatiently.

"I guess." He muttered, jiggling his leg.

"And you're sure you don't want any breakfast? You must be starving by now and it _is_ French toast day."

Sebastian crossed his legs irritably. "I'm fine."

"Good, good, but please do speak up if you start to feel a bit peckish. We want you to be comfortable." He moved forward in his seat and smiled. "Now we've got a lot of things to discuss today. First thing's first-

"I want to call my parents." Sebastian interrupted. "Right now. I want to call them."

Clemens' smile vanished for a split second. "I suppose you can." He nodded, not bringing the nine unanswered phone calls from the day before. "Yes, why don't you call them? I'm sure they'd be relieved to hear from you." The headmaster nudged the phone towards Sebastian and stood. "I'll give you some privacy. Take as long as you need."

Once he was alone, Sebastian snatched the phone off of the receiver and punched his home number into the keypad. He listened to it ring once, then twice, his leg bouncing with anticipation. It ran two more times and went to voicemail. He called again. This time somebody picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" Sebastian asked eagerly. His body went limp with relief.

"Sebastian?" She sounded alarmed and certainly not like she was expecting to hear from him.

"Oh God, Mom." Sebastian sighed, his voice nearly cracking. "You've gotta come get me. Take me home. They've got me locked up in this freak school and I don't know why and-

"Sebastian…"

"-I'm so glad that I finally got ahold of you-

"Sebastian…"

"-this whole place is crazy and totally-"

" _Sebastian."_ His mother repeated. "Listen to me. We aren't coming to get you."

Sebastian froze and stood up. "What? But why…wouldn't you?"

"Your father and I have discussed it and we've agreed that it's best if you just stay there. This whole matter has already caused enough trouble for us. Your father…he's heartbroken, naturally, and-"

"What about me? I'm the one being locked away!" Sebastian argued. He took a few shallow breaths as frightened tears sprang into his eyes. "Why are you doing this to me? I didn't do anything wrong I just want to come home!"

"How could you betray your own family like that?" Came the shaky reply.

Sebastian's eyes widened. "What? But Mom I didn't-

"How could you _humiliate_ us like that?"

"I swear I'm not-

" _They found a pacifier in your desk, Sebastian!"_ His mother yelled and Sebastian could hear the angry tears in her voice. "Don't lie to me!"

Stunned into silence, Sebastian stared at the wall. He watched his vision grow blurry as he listened to the sound of static on the phone. "Mom…" He whimpered.

His mother took a deep breath over the line. "It's better if you just stay there for a while. It's obvious you don't belong with the masters."

"What?"

"Don't make this difficult." She said and hung up without so much as an "I love you."

Sebastian stared at the wall in shock. Had his family just abandoned him? In the moment he needed them most had they slammed the door in his face? Was there really no way out of this nightmare?

His eyes brimmed with tears and he quickly brought a hand to wipe away the ones that escaped, but it quickly became a lost cause. What did it matter anyway? He was a baby now. Babies were supposed to cry.

The second Clemens returned to his office, he could instantly sense that Sebastian had been crying. Call it daddy's intuition. He concluded that his suspicions had been true and that Sebastian's parents had most likely disowned him. He gave the boy his space and sat back down at his desk.

"Why don't I show you around the grounds? A tour might be nice." Clemens offered.

"No thanks. I'm not in the mood for sandboxes." Sebastian mumbled.

"Well we've got more than a playground. There are the gardens and the soccer fields. The basketball courts…"

"Babies play basketball?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. The gesture looked strange with his red-rimmed eyes.

"It's really more for the visiting P.I.T.s to use after they're done working." Clemens replied. "But you're more than welcome to use it if you wish. We also have a pool."

Sebastian didn't respond for a while, but the headmaster waited patiently. He was in no hurry to push the boy.

"So now what?" Sebastian asked after a long silence. His eyes narrowed resentfully. "You've got me here and it's pretty fucking obvious that I'm not going to be staying in that guest room until graduation. I just want to know what's coming."

Clemens sighed and folded his hands, ignoring the profanity for the time being. "I'm going to be honest with you, Sebastian. You are a very special case. The process will most likely differ from the usual techniques that we use on our students."

"How? Not that I'm agreeing to anything." He muttered.

"Well for starters, very few babies know about sexual intercourse, something they've covered with you at Dalton no doubt."

"So?"

Clemens shrugged. "Ignorance is bliss, Sebastian. You have modesty and pride and so many other things that littles do not possess. The process will break you before it helps you."

Sebastian found himself silently agreeing. He couldn't see himself getting his diaper changed or letting some strange man or woman give him a bath.

"However, we can worry about that when the time comes." Clemens stated. "Why don't we take that tour?"

Mr. Clemens showed him the basketball courts, the soccer fields, the garden, and the pool. He showed him the auditorium, the cafeteria, the classrooms, and the dorm halls, but when he tried to lead Sebastian to the selection room, the boy refused his offer.

"Now usually after the tour comes an interview with the baby and their parents." Clemens said as they walked.

"What for?" Sebastian asked sullenly. He spotted another nurse (the place was swarming with them) and walked faster.

"Just a nice introduction." Clemens replied. "It helps us understand the child's needs concerning health, habits, diet specifications, behavior, whether they are looking for a mommy or daddy…You've met a couple already."

"Hm." Sebastian murmured in response. He didn't want to talk or even think about Nick at the moment or the fact that he'd been right about him the whole time. "Then what?"

"Well, part of the tuition goes to providing the student with a personal wardrobe. Think of it as a school uniform. There's a big catalog to choose from and at the beginning of every semester new clothes can be selected to replace ones that have grown too small or damaged."

Sebastian looked down at his own clothes: black skinny jeans, dark shirt, chain belt, leather shoes. He must have stuck out in this place like a sore thumb.

"After that you'd be assigned to one of the dormitory halls which are separated by gender and year. All of your possessions reside in a dresser beside your crib."

"What about privacy?" Sebastian grimaced.

"Like I said earlier, littles don't dwell on modesty too much." Clemens replied.

Sebastian didn't reply to that. "So what happens to me now?"

"Well if you want to start small, you could look at the catalog. You might find something you like." Sebastian gave the headmaster a wary look. "You don't have to wear them if you don't want to. Our objective here is to ease you into this lifestyle at a pace you feel comfortable with." Clemens assured him.

The teenager sighed and rubbed his eyes. "What else is there to do in this place?"

"Well if you want, it's not too late to get a bite to eat." Sebastian shook his head. "Then I suppose we could organize your class schedule."

Sebastian made a face. "I'm not attending any stupid baby classes."

"You might like them and it's not just specified classes. Littles partake in academics just like everyone else." Clemens clarified. "I've received your transcript so if we head back to my office I'm sure we can figure this out."

Sebastian sighed and brought a hand through his hair. "There's nothing better to do."

Clemens smiled and nodded, accompanying him back down the hall.


End file.
